Olympic Hopeful Dies At 26

Alexander Dale Oen, a Norweign swimmer who was seen as a front runner in the 2012 London Olympics has died after a light training session at the age of 26, with initial reports leading to cardiac arrest.

Oen, a swimmer who was expected to lead the pack for his team at the Olympics was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of the pre-Olympic training camp in Flagstaff, Arizona. It is said that the swimmer went into cardiac arrest after a day of golfing, and a light training session.

Teammates of Alexander Dale Oen became concerned when they knocked on the bathroom door and didn’t hear a response from Oen. This was after he was in the shower considerably longer than usual. The swimmer was found half in the tub and half outside on the bathroom floor and was pronounced dead shortly after the medical staff from the center arrived. Upon arrival, the doctor began performing CPR on him immediately but was unable to revive the Olympian hopeful.

Alexander Dale Oen’s professional swimming coach, Petter Loevberg, said in a statement today to the AP, “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.”

The news was so big Tuesday morning that Norway’s own prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, tweeted about the death, “Alexander Dale Oen was a great sportsman for a small country. My thoughts go to his family and friends.”

Although Alexander Dar Oen’s career was cut short, he had an impressive run including last year’s victory in the 100-meter breaststroke in Shanghai.