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Olaf Tufte, an Olympic rower who competed in seven Olympic Games for Norway, has died, his family said Tuesday. He was 50.
Tufte participated in his first Olympics in 1996, when the Games were held in Atlanta. He first competed in the men’s coxless four before moving into single and double sculls – where he found most of his success on the world stage.
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Bronze medalists Kjetil Borch and Olaf Tufte of Norway celebrate after the men’s double sculls final at the Rio 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 11, 2016. (REUTERS)
He won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in single sculls. He took home a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in double sculls and a bronze in 2016 in double sculls. He made a seventh Olympic appearance in 2021 when the Games were held in Tokyo.
Tufte was found unconscious on his family farm on Monday, Reuters reported, citing a statement in Norwegian media.
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Olaf Tufte of Norway competes in the men’s single sculls final at the 2006 World Rowing Championships on Lake Rotsee outside Lucerne, Switzerland, July 9, 2006. Tufte won the race ahead of New Zealand’s Mahe Drysdale and Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic finished third. (REUTERS)
“Medical personnel quickly arrived on the scene and life-saving first aid was administered before Tufte was taken to the hospital for further treatment,” the statement said.
“There were no witnesses to the incident and no suspicion of an occupational accident.”
German Olympic star Jason Osborne was among those who reacted to the news of Tufte’s death.
“I remember watching you as a kid and winning in Beijing,” he said, via Olympics.com. “This was my motivation to start my rowing career! You were and always will be a true inspiration! RIP champ.”
Norway’s Olaf Tufte competes in the men’s single sculls quarterfinal at the World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia, on August 31, 2011. (REUTERS)
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Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told Norwegian media that the decorated rower “brought enormous athletic joy to us as a nation.”
