Luce Douady death: 16-year-old French Olympic hopeful climber dies after 150m fatal fall

Teenage French climber Luce Douady died on Sunday after she fell on the footpath from a reported height of 150 metres in a climbing area in Grenoble, France. According to French outlet, Le Dauphine, Luce Douady was practising with a group of friends when she slipped on an exposed section and fell. According to Federation Francaise de la Montagne et de l Escalade (French Climbing Federation), the Luce Douady death was a result of an accident in a passage equipped with a handrail between two climbing sectors on a cliff. The report further confirmed that her body was recovered and that an investigation has been opened.

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Luce Douady death: Who was Luce Douady?

Born in 2003, Luce Douady was widely considered a teenage prodigy climber after her numerous achievements in the sport. With the sport supposed to be introduced in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Douady was expected to be a part of the French contingent. Luce Douady was a native of the Rhone Alpes region of France. She won the World Youth Championships in Boulder in 2019 in Arco, Italy, The same year, she was ranked 5th in her first-ever senior Boulder World Cup in Vail, Colorado, at the age of 15.

Alongside climbing, Douady also enjoyed music and playing the guitar. She has showcased her singing talent through short videos on Instagram. 

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Luce Douady death, Luce Douady accident: Climbing community pays tribute to the young prodigy

The International Federation of Sport Climbing said in a statement regarding the Luce Duoady death, "'It is with great sadness that the International Federation of Sport Climbing learned of the tragic loss of French climber Luce Douady, at the age of 16." The federation also shared a tribute video to Douady, which highlighted her exploits in the sport. The IFSC and the whole climbing community mourns the tragic loss of Douady," the statement added.

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Luce Douady death tribute video: Watch

“Luce was a young athlete on the French climbing team, very promising,” the FFME said on its website. "This terrible news hit her training comrades, her coaches and her club, Chambery Escalade hard."

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(Image Credits: International Federation of Sport Climbing Official Twitter Handle)