Dale Oen Tribute

Alexander Dale Oen (May 21, 1985 – April 30, 2012[3]) was a Norwegian swimmer. He represented the club Vestkantsvømmerne. 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.

Oen got his international breakthrough in 2005, placing seventh in 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 April 30, 2012, at around 7:50 p.m. MST, Dale Oen was found in the shower suffering from cardiac arrest in Flagstaff, Arizona while attending a training camp with the Norwegian swimming team. CPR was performed, and Dale Oen was brought to Flagstaff Medical Center, were he was pronounced dead at 9:00 p.m. MST. The cause of death is not known.[4] [5]