Triple team pursuit World Champion and Olympic medallist Kelly Catlin has died aged 23. Catlin died at home in California on Friday with her father Mark Catlin stating that she had taken her own life.
The silver medalist from the Rio Olympics 2016 had been riding professionally for the Rally UHC Cycling Team while studying computational and mathematical engineering at Stamford University.
President of USA Cycling Rob DeMartini spoke of the loss: 'We are deeply saddened by Kelly's passing.
'We will all miss her dearly. Kelly was more than an athlete to us and she will always be part of the USA Cycling family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Catlin family. This is an incredibly difficult time and we want to respect their privacy.
'The entire cycling community is mourning this immense loss. We are offering continuous support to Kelly's teammates, coaches and staff. We also encourage all those who knew Kelly to support each other through the grieving.'
Catlin's father confirmed to Velonews that she had taken her own life.
She won three consecutive team pursuit world titles on the track from 2016 to 2018 alongside Chloe Dygert Owen and Jennifer Valente. Sarah Hammer completed the team in 2016 while Kimberley Geist joined the line up in the latter two years.
Catlin also performed well individually on the track taking individual pursuit bronze medals at the 2017 and 2018 World Track Championships.
Parallel to her cycling career, Catlin also studied at university collecting a degree in mathematics and Chinese at the University of Minnesota last year.
She joined the Rally Pro Cycling setup in 2017 racing in both Europe and America. The team also released a statement over the weekend in light of the news.
'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 team-mate. Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and those who were fortunate enough to know her best.'
Image credit: USA Cyling