Venezuelan cycling legend Daniela Larreal Chirinos was found dead at her Las Vegas apartment on August 16, days after she choked to death, Fox Sports reported. The 50-year-old former Olympic athlete was discovered after she failed to show up for work at a hotel in Las Vegas, where she was employed. Authorities determined that Chirinos died on August 11 from asphyxiation caused by solid food remains lodged in her trachea.
Chirinos was a trailblazer in Venezuelan cycling, competing in five Olympic Games from 1992 to 2012. She represented her country at five Olympic Games: 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, and 2012 London Games. She won numerous medals, including two gold medals at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games and two silver medals at the Pan American Games in 2003. Her impressive career spanned over two decades, earning her a revered status in the cycling community.
Her untimely death sent shockwaves through the sporting world, with fans and fellow athletes mourning the loss. The Venezuelan Olympic Committee paid tribute to her on X and wrote, “The COV Board of Directors regrets the departure of Daniela Larreal. With an outstanding career in track cycling, she managed to represent us with honour in five Olympic Games, accumulate four Olympic diplomas and triumphs that always filled us with great pride.”
QLa Junta Directiva del COV lamenta la partida de Daniela Larreal
Con una destacada trayectoria en el ciclismo de pista logró representarnos con honor en cinco Juegos Olímpicos, acumular cuatro diplomas olímpicos y triunfos que siempre nos llenaron de mucho orgullo.#QEPD pic.twitter.com/YDJpv72X4D
— Comité Olímpico Venezolano (@OfficialCOV) August 16, 2024
The former Olympian was also a vocal and fearless critic of Venezuela’s political leadership, particularly strongman Hugo Chavez, whom she accused of embezzling funds through a fake racing driver sponsorship scheme, along with Sports Minister Hector Rodriguez.
When Nicolas Maduro took power in 2013, she denounced the presidency as a dictatorship, leading to her forced exile and a ban from entering Venezuela. In subsequent years, she rebuilt her life in Miami, driving for Uber before relocating to Las Vegas, where she worked as a food server.
