Alexander Dale Oen, a Norwegian Olympic swimmer who won silver for the 100 breaststroke in the Beijing games in 2008, died of cardiac arrest Monday evening at a pre-Olympic training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona. Officials with the Norwegian swimming federation say Oen was found dead in his bathroom by teammates who became concerned when he did not respond to knocks.
Oen could not be resuscitated at the scene by a team doctor and was pronounced dead at Flagstaff Medical Center. He was 26-years-old.
"We're all in shock. This is an out-of-the-body experience for the whole team over here. Our thoughts primarily go to his family who have lost Alexander way too early,” Norway coach Petter Loevberg said.
In addition to his Olympic medal, Oen’s achievements include gold, silver and bronze medals at World Championships. He earned Norway’s first gold medal at a World Championship for swimming and the country’s first ever medal in swimming at the Olympics.
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