Former Olympic Cyclist Dies of Food Choking

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Five-time Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos was found dead after allegedly choking on food in her Las Vegas apartment last week. The Venezuelan athlete was 50 years old.

Chirinos competed in the Olympic Games held in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000, Athens in 2004 and London in 2012. Although he never placed at the Olympics, he won gold medals twice at the Pan American Games and the Pan American Championships and is generally considered one of Venezuela's most successful cyclists.

Accordingly Fox News DigitalChirinos was reported missing after failing to show up for work at her hotel job on August 12, and was found dead by authorities on Friday, August 16. While an official cause of death is still pending, it was determined that she died of asphyxiation due to solid food debris found in her trachea, according to a spokesperson for the Clark County Coroner's Office. Authorities believe Chirinos died on August 11, the day before she was reported missing.

The Venezuelan Olympic Committee confirmed Chirinos' death in a social media post the day he was found dead.

“The COV Board of Directors is saddened by the departure of Daniela Larreal,” reads the post, translated on X (formerly Twitter). “With an extraordinary career in track cycling, Larreal managed to represent us with honor at five Olympic Games, accumulating four Olympic diplomas and victories that always fill us with great pride.”

Chirinos sought political asylum in the United States in 2016 after being forced into exile and banned from entering Venezuela due to his criticism of the country's Sports Ministry and President Nicolás Maduro. Chirinos lived in Miami, where he drove for Uber, before moving to Las Vegas, using the money to pay for his education and support his ailing father in his home country.

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