Gr\u00f8nvold was a professional freestyle skier and won bronze for Norway at the 2010 Winter\u00a0Olympics<\/a>. Before focusing his attention on freestyle skiing, Gr\u00f8nvold was part of Norway’s Alpine skiing team.<\/p>\n He also won gold in the downhill skiing two years running at the Norwegian National Championship in 2003 and 2004.<\/p>\n Shortly after his Olympic success 15 years ago, Gr\u00f8nvold decided to hang up his skis and retire from the\u00a0sport<\/a>.<\/p>\n He didn’t move away from the sport completely, though; instead, he became a national team coach and a\u00a0TV<\/a>\u00a0commentator,\u00a0per<\/a>\u00a0CNN.<\/p>\n Gr\u00f8nvold was recently on vacation with his wife and their three kids when disaster truck.<\/p>\n Audun Gr\u00f8nvold has died at the age of 49 (Kevork Djansezian\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/div>\n The 49-year-old Olympian was struck by lightning and rushed to hospital for urgent medical attention. Despite their efforts, Gr\u00f8nvold died on Tuesday (July 15).<\/p>\n The Norwegian ski federation went on to announce the news of his untimely passing a day later.<\/p>\n “It is with great sadness that we have received the news of Audun Gr\u00f8nvold\u2019s untimely passing,\u201d the federation said. “The former national alpine skier and ski cross athlete was recently struck by lightning during a cabin trip.”<\/p>\n It added that the skier was ‘quickly taken to hospital and received treatment for the injuries he sustained in the lightning strike’ but sadly succumbed to his injuries.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, the federation’s president, Tove Moe Dyrhaug, said that ‘Norwegian skiing has lost a prominent figure’ in the wake of Gr\u00f8nvold\u2019s death and that his passing will leave a ‘huge void’.<\/p>\n Gr\u00f8nvold\u2019s wife, Kristin Tandberg Haugsj\u00e5, has also paid tribute to the late Olympic medallist.<\/p>\n Gr\u00f8nvold won bronze at the Freestyle Ski World Championships in 2005 (Agence Zoom\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/div>\n In a tear-jerking\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0post, Haugsj\u00e5 said,\u00a0as per<\/a>\u00a0NRK: “Audun, my great love and my best friend for twenty years… today you left us. What started with a lovely summer vacation ended last Saturday with you being struck by lightning while we were out at our cabin.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n Nroweigan alpline skier Kjetil Andr\u00e9 Aamodt has paid tribute to the father-of-three as well.<\/p>\n “It’s just terribly tragic and a sad message to receive,” he told NRK. “It was a sudden and far too early death, so it’s very brutal.”<\/p>\n Aamodt continued to tell the publication that Gr\u00f8nvold was was ‘one of the fastest and most agile athletes measured in tests at the Olympic summit’.<\/p>\n![\"Audun](\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&quality=70&width=3840&fit=contain&gravity=auto&url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt697c23eec8c1faa3\/6878f264f347d3d7d96b270a\/GettyImages-96940986.jpg\")
![\"Audun](\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&quality=1&width=3840&fit=contain&gravity=auto&url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt697c23eec8c1faa3\/6878f264f347d3d7d96b270a\/GettyImages-96940986.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Gr\u00f8nvold](\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&quality=70&width=3840&fit=contain&gravity=auto&url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt87ac3a58fbdde5f2\/6878f21b0dd47f8e5950ead8\/GettyImages-52447391.jpg\")
![\"Gr\u00f8nvold](\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&quality=1&width=3840&fit=contain&gravity=auto&url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt87ac3a58fbdde5f2\/6878f21b0dd47f8e5950ead8\/GettyImages-52447391.jpg\")
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