Oslo (AFP)
Norwegian alpine skier Finn Christian Jagge, Olympic slalom champion at the 1992 Albertville Games, died at age 54 "from an acute illness," his family said on Wednesday.
"The best dad in the world (...) died today from an acute illness," wrote his partner Trine-Lise Jagge on his Facebook account, a message accompanied by several family photos.
In addition to his Olympic title, his collection is also rich in seven slaloms won at the World Cup in the 1990s - until his last season 1999-2000, at the end of which he retired from sport.
Subsequently, Jagge also coached the Norwegian women's alpine ski team from 2005 to 2007.
"It's terribly sad (...) he was a unique athlete. He was good in many sports, also in tennis. In the alpine environment, he was a legend", testified his former teammate Kjetil André Aamodt, interviewed by public television NRK.
"He kept the sport alive in the 80s and was an incredibly important pioneer thereafter," he said.
After hanging up the skis, Finn Christian Jagge, married and father of two, worked as an expert with the local TV2 channel.
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