挪威奥委会和挪威泳协当日共同宣布，男子蛙泳新科世界冠军、挪威人奥恩4月30日晚因心脏骤停不幸去世。挪威奥委会和挪威泳协在一份联合发布的公告中称，26岁的奥恩是在事先没有任何征兆的情况下猝死的，他遭遇不幸时正在美国亚利桑那州的弗拉格斯塔夫与挪威游泳队为备战伦敦奥运会进行训练。奥恩夺得去年在中国上海举行的世界游泳锦标赛男子100米蛙泳冠军，他还在北京奥运会游泳比赛中获得该项目的银牌。
norway's world 100-meter breaststroke champion and olympic silver medalist alexander dale oen has died suddenly at the age 26.
in a statement on its official website, the norwegian swimming federation said dale oen was found collapsed in his bathroom after a cardiac arrest late monday in arizona where he was participating in a training camp.
the team's doctor ola roensen tried to resuscitate him before he was taken to the nearby flagstaff medical center. he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. local time.
"we're all in shock," norway's national swimming coach petter loevberg said. "this is an out-of-body experience for the whole team over here. our thoughts primarily go to his family who have lost alexander way too early."
young athletes and heart attacks
dale oen won the 100-meter breaststroke at last year's world championships in shanghai, three days after anders behring breivik killed 77 people in a bomb and gun attack in norway.
the swimmer poignantly pointed to the norwegian flag on his cap, and later dedicated his win to the victims.
"everyone back home now is of course paralyzed with what happened," he said after the race. "but it was important for me to symbolize that even though i'm here in china, i'm able to feel the same emotions."
dale oen also won silver at the 2008 olympics in beijing for norway's first ever swimming medal and was expected to be one of the country's main hopes for gold in london later this year.
this is the blackest day in the history of norwegian swimming
norway swimming president
world swimming's governing body fina said he was "certainly preparing a brilliant participation at the upcoming olympic games in london."
norway's swimming federation did not give a cause of the cardiac arrest. it said dale oen had only had a light workout on monday and had seemed in good health.