Lightning strike kills Olympic bronze medalist Audun Grønvold. Norwegian skier was 49
The Norwegian Ski Federation confirmed Grønvold's death in a statement July 16, indicating Grønvold was struck by lightning while on a trip to his family's cabin July 12. He was quickly taken to a hospital to receive treatment, the federation said, but succumbed to his injuries a few days later.
"Norwegian skiing has lost a prominent figure, who has meant so much to both the alpine and freestyle communities," federation president Tove Moe Dyrhaug said in a statement. "... There will be a big void after Audun."
Grønvold was born in Hamar, a lakeside town about 80 miles north of Norway's capital city, Oslo. He first got his start in alpine skiing, also known as downhill skiing, and established himself a rising talent in one of the country's most popular sports. According to the ski federation, he spent more than a decade on Norway's alpine national team before switching to ski cross, in which skiers race directly against one another through a course with jumps and turns.
Grønvold won bronze in ski cross' Olympic debut at the 2010 Vancouver Games, then went on to become a national team coach and board member for the federation, according to its statement. He also worked as a skiing broadcaster.
"It's just terribly sad and tragic," Marius Arnesen, who coached Grønvold in the early 2000s, told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang. "(He was) a thoughtful and wonderful boy who, when it comes to skiing, had a fantastic feeling for the surface in the snow."
Grønvold is survived by his wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsjå, and three children. According to Norwegian national broadcaster NRK, Haugsjå also confirmed her husband's death in a Facebook post, describing him as "my great love and my best friend for 20 years."
"The loss of you is enormous," she wrote, according to NRK.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.
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