Norwegian Olympic Skier, Audun Groenvold, Dies After Lightning Strike

Sports|Norwegian Olympic Skier Dies After Lightning Strike

Audun Groenvold, a Norwegian skier and Olympic medalist, died this week after he was struck by lightning, the Norwegian Ski Federation announced in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr. Groenvold, 49, was hit by an electric bolt during a recent trip to a cabin, according to the federation, which said that he was taken to a hospital for treatment but later died.

“Norwegian skiing has lost a prominent figure, who has meant so much to both the alpine and freestyle communities,” Tove Moe Dyrhaug, the president of the federation said in the statement. “There will be a big void after Audun.”

Mr. Groenvold, whom the federation called “a pioneer in Norwegian freestyle and ski cross,” won a bronze medal in men’s ski cross at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

He was a member of the national Alpine ski team before moving into freestyle and ski cross, the federation said.

The Associated Press reported that Mr. Groenvold “had one podium finish as a World Cup Alpine skier, finishing third in a downhill in Sierra Nevada, Spain, in 1999.”

He also earned a bronze medal in ski cross at the 2005 world championships, and the overall ski cross cup in 2007, according to The A.P.

After his skiing career ended, Mr. Groenvold went on to become a national team coach and a television commentator, the federation said.

According to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Groenvold “gave up being an active athlete” after the 2010 Olympics because “his body had given him signals that enough was enough.” The broadcaster said that he had “struggled with both his knee, elbow and neck towards the end of his career.”

In a Facebook post, Kristin Tandberg Haugsjå, Mr. Groenvold’s wife, grieved “my great love and my best friend for twenty years,” according to NRK.

“What started with a lovely summer vacation,” she wrote, ended “with you being struck by lightning while we were out at our cabin.” She added, “The loss of you is enormous.”

In addition to his wife, Mr. Groenvold’s survivors include their three children, according to NRK.