An Olympic cyclist has been found dead in her flat after she reportedly choked on her food.
When former athlete Daniela Larreal Chirinos failed to show up at the hotel where she worked, concerned colleagues alerted the authorities.
Police officers went to her flat in Las Vegas on Friday (16 Aug) and found her body inside.
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It is believed she has been dead since 11 August, with her colleagues contacting authorities on 12 August.
According to sources close to the investigation, Larreal, 50, died from asphyxiation.
The post-mortem reportedly found solid food remnants in her windpipe, suggesting she’d choked to death.
However, the cause of death has not yet been officially confirmed by police.
Larreal was one of Venezuela’s most distinguished athletes.
She competed in five Olympic Games – Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and London 2012.
She was awarded four diplomas in track cycling, as reported by Need To Know.
Larreal was the leading figure in Venezuelan cycling from 1990 to 2012.
She won a silver medal at the 1990 Central American Games in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
She won another two silvers at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
And she won three golds and a silver at the 2002 Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador.
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