Alexander Dale Oen

Alexander Dale Oen
Alexander Dale Oen at the Reykjavík International Games 2009
Personal information
Nationality Norway
Born(1985-05-21)21 May 1985
Øygarden, Norway
Died30 April 2012(2012-04-30) (aged 26)
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight80 kg (176 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubBærumsvømmerne
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  Norway
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing[1] 100 m breaststroke
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2011 Shanghai 100 m breaststroke
World Championships (SC)
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Shanghai[2] 100 m breaststroke
European Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 2008 Eindhoven 100 m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 2010 Budapest 100 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 2006 Budapest 100 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 2008 Eindhoven 200 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 2008 Eindhoven 50 m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 2010 Budapest 200 m breaststroke
European Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 2011 Szczecin 100 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Helsinki 100 m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Szczecin 50 m breaststroke

Alexander Dale Oen (Norwegian pronunciation: [ɑɫɛkˈsɑ̀ndər ˈdɑ̀ːɫə ˈùːən]; 21 May 1985 – 30 April 2012)[3] was a Norwegian swimmer. He represented the clubs Vestkantsvømmerne (1995–2010) and Bærumsvømmerne (2011–2012). Dale Oen's gold at the 2008 European Championships made him the first Norwegian male to win a medal at a major international long course championship.

Dale Oen got his international breakthrough in 2005, placing seventh in the 100-metre breaststroke during the 2005 World Aquatics Championships. During the European short-course Championships in December the same year, he swam the 100 m breaststroke in 59.05 seconds, placing fourth and setting a new Nordic Record. He became the first Norwegian to swim this distance in less than 1 minute. At the Norwegian Short Course Championships two months later, he bettered that time to 58.81, a world best mark for the year.

On 30 April 2012, at around 19:50 MST Dale Oen was found unconscious in his hotel bathroom after having suffered a heart attack, caused by chronic, undetected coronary heart disease, a rare disease for a person of his age and fitness. He was found in his bathroom by one of his teammates, and CPR was performed before Dale Oen was brought to Flagstaff Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 21:00 MST. Dale Oen was attending a training camp with the Norwegian swimming team in Flagstaff, Arizona at the time of his death.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ "Dale Oen takes Silver in 100 metre breaststroke". Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  2. ^ "Shanghai 2006 results". Archived from the original on 6 March 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  3. ^ "Svømmeren Alexander Dale Oen er død". Aftenbladet. 21 May 1985. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  4. ^ Liss Goril Anda Norwegian journalist (1 May 2012). "Norwegian swimming champion Alexander Dale Oen dies". BBC. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Alexander Dale Oen dies after cardiac arrest at training camp". The Guardian. London. Associated Press. 1 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Olympic swimmer Alexander Dale Oen found dead at age 26". Fox. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.