Overview
- Tufte was discovered unconscious at his family farm, Tufte Gård, and was given first aid on site before being airlifted to an Oslo hospital where he later died, his family confirmed on Tuesday.
- The family said there were no witnesses to the incident and no suspicion of an occupational accident, and officials have not publicly released a medical cause of death.
- He won back-to-back Olympic golds in the single sculls in 2004 and 2008, took silver in 2000 and bronze in 2016, and competed at seven straight Summer Games from 1996 to 2021.
- After retiring from elite racing he ran the family farm, served as a volunteer/substitute firefighter, founded businesses including Tufte Wear, and coached para-rowers such as Birgit Skarstein to a 2024 Paralympic silver.
- Political leaders, World Rowing and former rivals paid tribute to his longevity, leadership and character, and the rowing community is preparing to mark his contribution to the sport.