Olympian found dead in flat after serial medal winner 'choked on food'

A successful Olympian has been found dead in her apartment. It's believed that Daniela Larreal Chirinos passed away after choking on food.

The 50-year-old, who made her name as a cyclist, failed to show up for a shift at the hotel where she worked, causing worried colleagues to call the authorities.

Police officers then headed to her apartment, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, August 16, and discovered her body. It is thought she may have been dead since Sunday, August 11.

Her colleagues contacted authorities the following day, Monday, August 12. Sources close to the investigation say Larreal died from asphyxiation, The Mirror reports.

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, and was awarded four diplomas in track cycling.

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 El Salvador.

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