Finn Christian Jagge reached the pinnacle of his sport in 1992 when he became an Olympic champion.
Jagge, who has died aged 54, was born into an active family – he was the son of Alpine skier Liv Jagge-Christiansen and tennis player Finn Dag Jagge.
At the age of 25, he shocked crowds and defending Olympic champion Alberto Tomba in Albertville, France, after recording the quickest first run in the slalom by more than a second.
On his second run, he went on to claim gold by 0.28 of a second, denying the Italian who was chasing a fourth Olympic title.
RIP Finn Christian Jagge 😢 pic.twitter.com/xd9KSAetjC
— Matjaž Jazbar (@JazbarMatjaz) July 8, 2020
Over an eight-year period, Jagge also won seven World Cup races – all in the slalom.
He retired from the sport at the age of 34 in 2000, and skied his last race in a tuxedo, bow tie and sunglasses.
But he always kept up his passion for snow sports – and trained the Norwegian women ski team from 2005 to 2007.
The Norwegian Olympic Committee announced on Wednesday that the 1992 Olympic champion slalom skier had died.
And his wife, Trine-Lise Jagge, posted on Facebook that the cause of death was an “acute illness”.
She described her late husband as the family’s “greatest love, our biggest hero and rock”.
Norwegian Sports Federation President Berit Kjøll said: “It is with great sadness that we received today the sad message of Finn Christian Jagge’s passing.
For as long as I remember the Canadian Ski Team has always had a special connection with the Norwegian Ski Team
So sorry to hear about the passing of 1992 Olympic SL Champion Finn Christian Jagge
Sincere condolences to the family, friends + Federation for this tremendous loss https://t.co/5MFIg9JRp9
— Max G (@gartnermax) July 8, 2020
“Jagge crowned an impressive career with Olympic gold in Albertville in 1992, beating another legend, Alberto Tomba.
“Jagge also excelled in sports and was a great example for many of our young and promising athletes in Alpine sports – he will be sorely missed.”