U.S. track cyclist Kelly Catlin, who won a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the women’s pursuit team, has died. She was 23.
Catlin’s father, Mark, told cycling magazine VeloNews Sunday that she died by suicide Friday night.
“There isn’t a minute that goes by that we don’t think of her and think of the wonderful life she could have lived,” Catlin wrote in a letter to VeloNews. “There isn’t a second in which we wouldn’t freely give our lives in exchange for hers. The hurt is unbelievable.”
“The entire cycling community is mourning this immense loss,” USA Cycling chief executive Rob DeMartini said in a statement. “We are offering continuous support to Kelly’s teammates, coaches and staff. We also encourage all those who knew Kelly to support each other through the grieving.”
Born and raised outside Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the youngest of triplets, Catlin also raced on the road for Rally UHC Pro Cycling Team and was pursuing a graduate degree in computational mathematics at Stanford University.