Kelly Catlin, a member of the U.S. women’s pursuit team that earned a silver medal in the 2016 summer Olympics, has died at age 23.
Her father, Mark Catlin, told VeloNews that she took her own life. Catlin earned three world championship titles with the U.S. women’s pursuit team from 2016-2018. She also road raced with the Rally UHC Pro Cycling Team. In addition to cycling, Catlin was earning a master’s degree in Computational Mathematics at Stanford. Catlin was from St. Paul, Minnesota and the youngest of three triplets. “There isn’t a minute that goes by that we don’t think of her and think of the wonderful life she could have lived,” Mark Catlin wrote to VeloNews. “There isn’t a second in which we wouldn’t freely give our lives in exchange for hers. The hurt is unbelievable.”
A few months before her death, Catlin sustained a concussion during a cycling accident. She suffered severe headaches and light sensitivity and found it impossible to focus on her studies. Her family believes some of the changes Catlin exhibited may be related to her concussion. Seeking answers, they have donated her brain to Veterans Affairs-Boston University-Concussion Legacy Foundation Brain Bank.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Featured image by Nicola Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-sa 4.0
