The Norwegian Ski Federation announced the news on 16/7. Gronvold was on vacation with his family when the accident occurred.
"Gronvold was quickly taken to the hospital with injuries from the lightning strike, but he did not survive and passed away on the night of 15/7," the Federation said. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic news."
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Audun Gronvold wins bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Photo: AP |
Federation President Tove Moe Dyrhaug said the Norwegian skiing community has lost a prominent figure and that his absence will be deeply felt. "Gronvold was a significant presence in both alpine and freestyle skiing communities," Dyrhaug said.
Gronvold is survived by his wife and three children. His wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsja, said the accident happened while the family was on summer vacation. "I have lost my great love and best friend of 20 years," Haugsja wrote on her Facebook page.
Gronvold won a bronze medal in cross-country skiing at the 2005 World Championships and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. In downhill skiing, he won a World Cup bronze medal in 1999. After retiring from competition, he became a national team coach and television commentator.
According to a 2022 report by Science Alert, lightning kills about 24,000 people and injures about 240,000 worldwide each year.
Gronvold is not the first athlete to die from a lightning strike. In 2019, 33-year-old American runner Thomas Stanley was struck near the finish line of a 50 km ultramarathon in Kansas. In 11/2024, 39-year-old amateur soccer player De La Cruz Meza was fatally struck by lightning while leaving the field to avoid a heavy downpour in central Peru.
Lightning also caused several tragedies in soccer in 2023. In February, Septain Raharja died while playing in a friendly match in Indonesia. In December, Brazilian player Caio Henrique De Lima Goncalves was struck by lightning while playing for Uniao Jaiirense in a cup match. He was taken to the hospital immediately after the incident but died from his injuries.
Trung Thu (according to AP)
