Five-time Olympic cyclist choked to death on food at her Vegas apartment five days before her body was found

Five-time Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos of Venezuela was found dead in her Las Vegas apartment on Friday, almost a week after she died from what appears to be choking on food, according to Spanish newspaper ABC.

The Venezuelan Olympic Committee confirmed the death of Larreal Chirinos, who was 51.

“With an outstanding career in track cycling, she represented us with honor in five Olympic Games, accumulating four Olympic diplomas and triumphs that always filled us with great pride,” the committee wrote in Spanish on X on Friday.

Larreal Chirinos was living in self-imposed exile in the US after criticizing the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Her coworkers at a Vegas hotel became alarmed when she didn’t show up for work on August 12.

Police found the cyclist dead in her apartment days later. A preliminary autopsy indicated she died of asphyxiation and had solid food in her windpipe, according to ABC, citing local police sources.

The Clark County Officer of the Coroner/Medical Examiner told The Independent that it was investigating the death of Chirinos, who was pronounced dead on August 15, with the cause and method of death still pending.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told The Independent it did not have any information about the death of someone named Daniela Larreal Chirinos.

Venezuelans praised the cyclist’s achievements, which included competing at the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2012 Olympic games, as well as medaling at various regional international competitions.

“We deeply regret the passing of Daniela Larreal, who in life was a great figure in cycling, a specialist in track events,” opposition figure Henrique Capriles wrote on X. “Daniela, in addition to winning medals, stood out for being the only Venezuelan to have participated in 5 Olympic Games. A glory of sport!”

Larreal Chirinos, who once supported Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez, later backed an opposing party, the center-right Vente Venezuela, according to Fox Sports.

Her political positions, which included accusing Venezuelan sporting officials of wrongfully profiting from the country’s athletes, eventually earned the cyclist death threats, and she fled the country.