OSLO, Norway — Olympic ski cross medalist Audun Groenvold has died after being struck by lightning, the Norwegian ski federation introduced Wednesday. He was 49.
Groenvold received bronze on the 2010 Vancouver Video games.
“It is with great sadness that we have received the news of Audun Groenvold’s untimely passing,” the federation mentioned. “The former national Alpine skier and ski cross athlete was recently struck by lightning during a cabin trip.”
The federation mentioned Groenvold was “quickly taken to hospital and received treatment for the injuries he sustained in the lightning strike” after which died Tuesday evening.
Groenvold was a member of Norway’s Alpine snowboarding crew earlier than he moved into freestyle and ski cross. He had one podium end as a World Cup Alpine skier, ending third in a downhill in Sierra Nevada, Spain, in 1999.
He additionally received a bronze medal in ski cross on the 2005 world championships, and the general ski cross cup in 2007.
After his profession ended, he grew to become a nationwide crew coach and a TV commentator.
“Norwegian skiing has lost a prominent figure, who has meant so much to both the Alpine and freestyle communities,” federation president Tove Moe Dyrhaug mentioned, including that his passing creates “a huge void.”
