Luce Douady, a youth world champion climber from France, died after a climbing accident at a cliff, France’s climbing federation said it learned Sunday. She was 16.
Douady was climbing with friends near Grenoble.
Douady won a 2019 Youth World title in bouldering, one of three disciplines that make up the climbing event that debuts at the Olympics in Tokyo next year. Douady also took third in a lead final, another of the three disciplines in the combined Olympic event.
She also debuted on the senior World Cup in 2019, placing fifth at an event in Colorado.
For the Tokyo Olympics, France previously qualified its full complement of two women in climbing: Julia Chanourdie and Anouck Jaubert. The sport remains on the Olympic program for the 2024 Paris Games.