Micael Lundmark grew up in Skellefteå and went to primary school in Ursviken. He started snowboarding at the age of six and his first ride was at Vitbergsbacken.
Throughout his upbringing, snowboarding remained a part of Micael's life. After finishing primary school, he decided to move to Malung to attend a ski school. He was a remarkable talent and competed against the best in the world.
Thanks to his talent, he represented Sweden at the Turin Olympics in 2006, where he achieved the best Swedish result in the halfpipe event and placed 27th overall.
Excitement and speed were part of Micael's life. His sister Evelina Lundmark remembers:
– He always had something new in mind, and he always gave 100 percent to everything he did. His favorite activities were motorcycling, rock climbing, skateboarding, fishing, and turning his work car into an RV.
Evelina's voice trembles as she recounts her memories of her younger brother, Micael. She takes us back to that summer evening in June. His friends watched as he did a slow somersault in the air before landing hard in the water.
Micael went underwater and remained missing until August 27. His body was then found floating in the water near southern Riddarholmshamnen in Stockholm. Skellefteå's native son was no longer missing, and the Expressen newspaper was the first to report it.
Evelina recounts the family's nightmare from the June evening until that awful Sunday morning in August.
She said:
– It was a nightmare. At first, it was so unreal because you thought, 'He must have come up somewhere, and he must be in a hospital somewhere.' But as time went on, you started to realize that the worst had probably happened.
When did you find out what had happened to Micael?
– The police came to my parents' house in Ursviken early in the morning to tell them. My dad was in a state of shock and called me and said: 'Micke is probably dead.' But I didn't believe him at first. But my then my dad said it again.
Evelina explains that the family lived in excruciating uncertainty all summer. At the end of August, however, that uncertainty ended with the discovery and identification of Micael's body.
– It was like a shock again when it became so definitive. Even though you were prepared, you couldn't really prepare for it. Since he disappeared I'd been holding on to my phone, waiting for someone to call with some kind of news. It really was a nightmare.
Who was Micael? What was special about him as a person?
– He was the nicest person in the world, very considerate and liked by everyone. It was easy for him to make new friends; he was very sociable and I never heard him say a bad word about anyone else, she continues.
– He was an animal lover and a vegetarian. The best person in the world.
Micael seems to have lived his life at full throttle, filling every day with a sense of purpose. Do you want to remember him like this?
– Yes, absolutely. My Micael lived more than many people do in 100 years, says Evelina.
Micael's sister gave Norran permission to publish his name and photo