Norwegian ski cross star Audun Groenvold has died after being struck by lightning at his cabin on Saturday. He was 49 years old.
News outlet NRK in Norway reports that Groenvold died from his injuries that occurred three days prior.
The Norwegian ski federation confirmed the news on their official website, remembering him as an ‘outstanding athlete on the national alpine team for a number of years before becoming a pioneer in Norwegian freestyle and ski cross.’
Federation president Tove Moe Dyrhaug said, ‘Norwegian skiing has lost a prominent figure, who has meant so much to both the alpine and freestyle communities.
‘Audun had a great career in both alpine skiing and ski cross, before becoming the national ski cross coach. The Norwegian Ski Association also remembers his efforts on the ski board. There will be a big void after Audun.’
Groenvold leaves behind a wife and three children. His wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsjå, posted a memorial on social media.
Norwegian ski cross star Audun Groenvold has died at the age of 49 after a lightning strike
Groenvold (R) became the first ski cross Bronze medalist in the history of the Winter Olympics
‘Audun, my great love and my best friend for twenty years… today you left us,’ she posted on Facebook.
‘What started with a lovely summer vacation ended last Saturday with you being struck by lightning while we were out at our cabin. Although you quickly received treatment and were taken to hospital, you died from your injuries last night.
‘Sanna, Selma, William and I will carry you with us in our hearts. The loss of you is enormous.’
Groenvold was previously a member of the Norwegian Alpine skiing team, competing in the sport from the 1993/94 season up until the 2003/04 season.
In addition to his third place finish at an FIS Alpine World Cup event in Spain in 1999 in the downhill, he won the national championship gold medal in the same competition in 2003 and 2004.
He transitioned to ski cross – an Alpine-adjacent skiing discipline that incorporates terrain park features like banked turns and big-air jumps. It sets itself apart from other alpine racing by involving more than one skier at a time.
A sport popularized by its appearance at the X Games since 1998, the FIS adopted it as a discipline in the Freestyle World Cup in 2004. Groenvold won the ski cross World Cup title in 2007.
Groenvold was at first a downhill skiier, winning Bronze in a World Cup event in 1999
He later transitioned to ski cross, an event combining Alpine skiing with terrain park elements
The sport debuted in the Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, with Groenvold winning the Bronze
The sport became an Olympic event for the first time in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver – after the popularity of the snowboard version of the same discipline became an Olympic event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.
Groenvold competed in those games and won a Bronze medal behind Swiss skiier Michael Schmid in the Gold medal spot and Austrian Andreas Matt taking Silver.
After Vancouver, Groenvold retired from competing in the sport. He continued to be in the sport as a coach for the national team. Groenvold also spent time as a TV commentator with NRK.
