Olympic Medalist, Stanford Student Kelly Catlin Dies At 23

PALO ALTO, CA -- Three-time world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Kelly Catlin died Friday night at her home at Stanford University. She was 23.

Catlin’s father, Mark, confirmed in a letter to cycling magazine VeloNews that she took her own life, Team USA announced.

“The entire Olympic and Paralympic community is saddened by Kelly’s passing,” U.S. Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer Sarah Hirshland said in a Team USA bulletin written on behalf of Red Line Editorial. “Kelly was obviously an incredible athlete, but those that knew her well will tell you she was an even better person. Her loss is a stark reminder that we must continue to make the physical and mental health and wellness of athletes our top priority.”

The shocking news comes less than one week after the conclusion of the UCI Track World Championships, where Catlin did not compete in the team pursuit event in which she had won three gold medals in a row. She was also a member of the team that took the silver medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

She has ridden for the Rally Cycling Team since 2017, competing in the prestigious Amgen Tour of California Women's (cycling) Race, with route legs that include Lake Tahoe mountain climbs, Sacramento sprints and rolling over Central Valley hills. This year's race scheduled in May involves a leg for the men in Morgan Hill through Santa Clara County.

"The news of Kelly’s passing has hit the team hard. Losing an incredible person at such a young age is very difficult. Kelly was our friend and teammate. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and those who were fortunate enough to know her best," Rally Cycling Team spokesman Tom Soladay told Patch.

Soladay wasn't alone in the sentiment.

“We are deeply saddened by Kelly's passing, and we will all miss her dearly,” USA Cycling President and CEO Rob DeMartini said in a statement. “We hope everyone seeks the support they need through the hard days ahead, and please keep the Catlin family in your thoughts.”

The St. Paul, Minnesota, native was considered a natural talent on the bike starting as early as age 17. She also pursued music, art and a graduate degree in computational mathematics from Stanford.

Team USA indicated that Catlin recently wrote a journal entry for VeloNews, in which she talked about the challenges of balancing so many things alongside a championship cycling career.

“Being a graduate student, track cyclist and professional road cyclist can instead feel like I need to time-travel to get everything done,” she wrote. "After all, I somehow make everything work, right? Sure. Yeah, that’s somewhat accurate. But the truth is that most of the time, I don’t make everything work.”

Stanford University expressed its sadness with its own reaction.

Stanford Vice Provost for Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole sent a message through the university news service to the student body about the tragic news.

"I am heartbroken to share the news of the death of a graduate student in our community. The student, a master’s student in Computational and Mathematical Engineering, was discovered by a roommate overnight in their on-campus residence," Brubaker-Cole said.

There is no indication of foul play, the university concluded.

Stanford officials are reaching out to her family.

"Our thoughts, also, are focused on continuing to strengthen our support for our community," Brubaker-Cole added.

Stanford support resources have been established on campus. For more information on this, visit https://news.stanford.edu/2019.