Alexander Dale Oen

Alexander Dale Oen was a Norwegian breaststroker who made his international breakthrough in 2005 at the World Championships, placing seventh in the 100 breaststroke. Over the next few years he continued to improve. In 2006 he won a bronze medal in the World Short-Course Championships in the 100. Although he struggled a bit in 2007, in 2008 Dale Oen won the 100 breast at the European Long-Course meet, and added an Olympic silver medal in Beijing. Between 2006-11, Dale Oen won six medals and two golds at the Long-Course Europeans and three medals and one gold at the Short-Course Europeans.

In 2011 he became the first Norwegian to win a world swimming title, taking the 100 breaststroke at the Long-Course Worlds. It was an emotional moment, as the victory came only a few days after the tragic killings in Oslo by Anders Behring Breivik. In April 2012, Dale Oen was training in Flagstaff, Arizona with the Norwegian team and was primed to go for an Olympic gold medal in London. But after a morning training session he collapsed in the shower and died soon after from what was determined to be heart failure.

Personal Bests: 50 m breaststroke – 27.20 (2011); 100 m breaststroke – 58.71 (2011); 200 m breaststroke – 2:09.74 (2008).