It was Ulsrud’s wife, Elin Grødal, who confirmed the death VG.

– I think he’s a really unique guy. Always positive and optimistic. He cares about other people and wants everyone to be okay. He didn’t have a single enemy. Dinner was always ready when I got home, as long as he wasn’t out and about curling, Elin Grødal told the newspaper.

The wife said that Ulsrud died at home. He didn’t want to be in the hospital. The couple have their son Jesper Ulsrud (20) together.

– I got a message this morning, and it’s great. Thomas is an amazing person, so it’s very sad. He has been sick for a while, but it was a shock, former team-mate Thomas Løvold told Dagbladet.

He continued:

– Thomas stays excited all the way and keeps up with sports. As a person, he is gentle, cheerful and positive. He elevates the people around him and is a wonderful person.

Profile

Ulsrud has been a big profile in the curling world for a very long time. First and foremost because of his performance on the ice, but also because of the curling pants he and his teammates wear.

Ulsrud was a vessel in the team that won Olympic silver in Vancouver in 2012 and also has World Cup gold from Beijing in 2014. His other teammates are Torger Nergård, Christoffer Svae and Håvard Vad Petersson. Løvold was included as a backup.

The team led in Norway until they disbanded in 2019. The previous year, they had ranked sixth in the Olympics in South Korea.

– That’s a damn message. “It’s been going like that all week but before that I really have faith that he will fight his way through,” former team-mate Torger Nergård told Dagbladet.

– What does he mean for sports?

– He means a lot to the whole sport, but I will miss Thomas as a person. We’ve lived and played together for 30 years, so it’s been tough. This is definitely the hardest for Elin and Jesper, but everyone will miss Thomas.