Olaf Tufte, a celebrated Norwegian Olympic rower who won two gold medals and competed in seven Olympic Games, has died. He was 50 years old.
Tufte's family announced his death on Tuesday. He was found unconscious at his family farm on Monday, according to Reuters, which cited a statement from Norwegian media. Medical personnel initiated life-saving aid at the scene before Tufte was airlifted to a hospital. The statement indicated there were no witnesses to the incident and no suspicion of a workplace accident.
Tufte first appeared in the Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta, initially competing in the men's coxless four. He later transitioned to single and double sculls, disciplines where he achieved his greatest international success. He secured gold medals in the men's single sculls at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics. His Olympic medal collection also includes a silver in the men's double sculls at the 2000 Sydney Games and a bronze in the same event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. His seventh and final Olympic appearance was at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
German Olympic rower Jason Osborne remembered Tufte as a significant inspiration, stating, "I remember watching you as a kid and winning in Beijing. This was my motivation to start my rowing career! You were and will always be a true inspiration! R.I.P champion."
Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre commented on Tufte's passing, noting that the decorated athlete "brought enormous athletic joy to us as a nation."
