Julia Viellehner (6 September 1985 – 22 May 2017) was a German long-distance duathlete and triathlete who competed in long-distance world duathlon and triathlon championships.[1]

Julia Viellehner
Personal information
Born(1985-09-06)6 September 1985
Benediktbeuern, Germany
Died22 May 2017(2017-05-22) (aged 31)
Maurizio Bufalini Hospital, Cesena, Italy
Height1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)
Sport
Country Germany
Event(s)Duathlon
Triathlon
ClubTSV Altenmarkt
PartnerTom Stecher (2016 - her death)
Medal record
Duathlon
Representing  Germany
World Duathlon Championships
Silver medal – second place 2015 Zofingen Women's elite

Personal life

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Viellehner was brought up in a family of athletes in Winhöring, Upper Bavaria. Her father Johann was a summiteer and her mother Irmgard was a keen marathon runner. Julia was appointed into the Bavarian national athletics team and in 2004 won her first German national championship. In 2014, her family were distressed when her brother Raphael and her father disappeared when they went hiking on a mountain tour on Aoraki / Mount Cook in New Zealand. They were never found.[2][3]

Accident

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Viellehner was involved in a traffic accident involving a heavy goods vehicle during a cycling training session. The vehicle overtook her and pulled in sharply, the wheel of the truck caught her bike's front wheel causing her to go under the truck. She suffered severe injuries and was put into a medically induced coma for a week before she died.[4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Athlete Profile: Julia Viellehner". triathlon.org. 7 May 2020.
  2. ^ Naber, Ibrahim (23 May 2017). "Zustand war mit ihrem weitern Leben nicht vereinbar". welt.de.
  3. ^ "Altotting gedenkt Julia Viellehner". German Road Races. 7 May 2020.
  4. ^ Kleiss, Mike (25 May 2017). "Der viel zu fruhe Tod der Triathletin Julia Viellehner (in German)". Der Tagesspiegel Online.
  5. ^ Wienke, Dagmar (30 May 2017). "Zum Tod der Triathleten Julia Viellehner: Es tut weh (in German)". Westdeutsche Zeitung.
  6. ^ Groves, Paul (22 May 2017). ""Wir sehen uns im Ziel" Julia Viellehner loses her toughest battle". European Triathlon Union.