Curling legend Thomas Ulsrud has died after a long battle with cancer. The world champion and silver medalist of the 2010 Olympics has turned 50 years old.

Elin Grødal confirmed that her husband died on Tuesday. The couple has a son, Jesper Ulsrud (20).

– 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 is always ready when I get home, as long as she’s not out curling, Elin Grødal told VG.

– He died at home. He didn’t want to be in the hospital, he added.

Elin Grødal also said that her husband until his last day was one hundred percent sure that he would recover, and therefore he would not tell the public about the disease. He was diagnosed with cancer a year and a half ago, in December 2020. The disease was discovered in connection with a routine checkup by one of the Olympic doctors, said Elin Grødal.

– This is very sad and seems very unfair, said close friend Thomas Ulsrud and teammate Torger Nergård.

He said he last visited Thomas Ulsrud on Monday.

Thomas Ulsrud led the Norwegian curling national team to World Cup gold in Beijing eight years ago. Four years earlier, he had led “Team Ulsrud” to an Olympic silver medal in Vancouver. Then the team also got a lot of attention because of the dress style.

Thomas Ulsrud, Torger Nergård, Christoffer Svae and Håvard Vad Petersson played in what were described as clown pants. Those are actually golf pants. Then the distinct “Team Ulsrud” outfit became a controversial trademark – and was widely discussed. During the 2014 Olympics, the New York Times compared the then custom of the Norwegian national curling team as a twisted version of the clothing style in the film “Ocean’s Eleven” – and Ulsrud & co. became the main attraction of the American TV giant NBC.

However, their sporting success was never in doubt. With Thomas Ulsrud as boss, the team won a number of medals at international championships, before and after all outfit changes. Thomas Ulsrud took home a dozen European Championship medals, five World Cup medals and one Olympic silver medal.

Already in 1988 he took a bronze medal in the junior WC.

After placing 6th at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, “Team Ulsrud” was finally disbanded. At 46, he is the oldest Norwegian participant at the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

However, Thomas Ulsrud did not give up. He tried his hand at mixed doubles and joined the national team consisting of him, Steffen Walstad, Markus Høiberg and Magnus Vågberg. In 2019, it became clear that “Team Minera” with Ulsrud as the ship would focus on the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Two years ago, Thomas Ulsrud persuaded his former “Team Ulsrud” teammate Torger Nergård (47) to be part of the Olympics .made.

However, Thomas Ulsrud was absent when Nergård alongside Steffen Walstad, Magnus Vågberg and Markus Høiberg – and Magnus Nedregotten as a reserve – played the Olympic tournament in China in February this year.

After undergoing surgery in May 2021, he told VG that his goal is to reach the 2022 Olympics. VG also made contact with Ulsrud at the end of December five months ago. Then he had to start a new type of chemotherapy at Radiumhospitalet. He expressed strong optimism about the outcome of the healing.

His wife Elin Grødal said he underwent a total of 26 chemotherapy regimens.