The Norwegian athlete who passed away - and left an entire nation in shock
The legendary rower, Olaf Tufte, was more than just an ordinary athlete. He competed for three decades and was an inspiration to entire generations of rowers, not only because of the medals he won, but also because of his ability to adapt himself every time to a different style of competition.
'I probably had to be the one to set the pace here. But I think it's cool, as long as enough people join in.' This was the reaction of Olaf Tufte, the Norwegian rowing legend, to the sight of the Viking rowing celebrations by the fans and the national team players during the last World Cup. On Monday, the day after the games ended, Tufte was found unconscious at his farm. He was flown to the hospital, where his death was pronounced at the age of 50.
Tufte came to rowing by chance. He wanted to improve his grip and motorcycle riding and thought that rowing would help him. This happened in 1993 when Tufte was only 17. A year later, he was already representing Norway at the Youth World Championships. In 1996, he competed in rowing in a quadruple sculls boat at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. In 1999, he won a bronze medal at the World Championships. Starting in 2001, and within seven years, he achieved two gold medals at the Olympics and gold medals at the World Championships - the first Norwegian to win gold in the sport of rowing. He won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics and an Olympic bronze in double sculls in Rio 2016, and participated, at the age of 45, in the Tokyo Olympics in the quadruple sculls rowing competition. In total, Tufte participated in seven Olympics.
'I set myself a goal almost immediately after I started rowing,' Tufte said in an interview before the Tokyo Olympics, 'and I told myself that I would do everything to meet the goal I set. There are always excuses: it's a boring routine, my wife or my friends want to go to a movie, it's raining, but there is always the memory of what I promised myself at the beginning of the journey.'
'I was very saddened to hear of the death of Olaf Tufte,' said Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, 'Tufte brought immense joy to the Norwegian people. He was one of the greatest Norwegian sports heroes.'
'I was not born to rest'
Tufte's glorious career did not include only medals, victories, and titles, but also the ability to move from a certain type of competition - rowing in pairs or quads - to extraordinary achievements in single sculls, and then back to competition in pairs or quads. These are completely different physical and mental loads. From teamwork, when one trusts and pushes the other, with support when you are tired or exhausted, to Sisyphean solitary rowing, where you are with yourself, without anyone to share the physical and mental effort involved in this grueling sport. Also, the length of his career, 25 years, put Tufte in the International Rowing Hall of Fame. In 2021, the World Rowing Federation decided to award Tufte the Thomas Keller Medal, the highest and most prestigious honor, an award given annually to rowers with an extraordinary international career.
'I have two families,' Tufte said when he received the medal at a ceremony in Lucerne in 2022, 'I have my family and the rowing family. Anyone who picks up an oar is part of my family. Rowing is the reason I became the person I am today.'
After retiring, he retired to work on a farm together with his wife, whom he had known since middle school. He participated in endurance competitions, appeared and starred in reality TV shows, volunteered at the local fire station, and established a successful clothing line in his name. He participated in many charity events, and in June he led fans of the Norwegian team in the rowing movements that became the team's cheering symbol. Just last Friday, Tufte was still coaching young Norwegians preparing for the European Rowing Championships, which are supposed to start at the end of the month.
'He was a great family man, a wonderful human being, and an athlete of the highest level,' eulogized Frank Ove Ryt, president of the Norwegian Rowing Federation, 'We are still trying to process this. It is a shock to the entire rowing community in Norway. There are no words.'
These are not empty words. In a 25-year career, seven Olympics, and medals at World and European Championships, they are enough time and a work sheet to create enemies for yourself. But Tufte truly treated everyone involved in rowing as family. A main competitor of his invited him to be a groomsman at his wedding, others came to his farm to chop wood with him, while another competitor named his dog 'Oslo' because of Tufte.
'I was not born to rest,' Tufte said in one of the interviews he gave, 'When I'm not doing something, I get bored. For me, rowing was not a moment or a collection of moments, or a medal at the Olympics. Rowing was my lifestyle.'
