Alexander Dale Oen celebrates the 2011 world championship gold – from:gettyimages.it
Article by Giovanni Manenti
Per a Nordic country like Norwaythe “vere“The Olympics are the Winter Olympics, so much so commands the relative “All Time Ranking” for laurels wonwith 405 medals, of which 148 gold, 134 silver and 123 bronze, quite the opposite of what happens for the Summer Games, although it can still boast a total of 163 medals which places it in 21st position…
In particular, with regard to the Discipline which is the subject of our story today, i.e Swimming, thezero absolute” of Norwegian representatives on the Olympic Podium until the end of the 20th centurycontrasts with the results obtained by neighboring countries, first of all Sweden with its 39 medals (of which 9 Gold) and also Denmark, present at the Awards Ceremony on 15 occasions, three of which occupying the top step of the Podium .
He provides for interrupting such an embarrassing fast the protagonist of our history today, who perhaps could have done even better if an adverse and merciless fate had not taken away his possibilityeven if fate, as you will have the opportunity to ascertain, has little to do with it, since the responsibilities are very different…
Alexander Dale Oen was born on 21 May 1985 in Oygarden, a city of just under 40 thousand souls located in Vestlandwho began practicing swimming at the age of 10, registered for the Vestkantsvommeme, specializing in the breaststroke, of which he competes on all three distances of 50, 100 and 200 metres, even though the first is not part of the Olympic Program.
Dale Oen’s first international performance came on the occasion of European Junior Championships early August 2003 in Glasgow, where he won the final in all three of the aforementioned breaststroke events, with the pearl of silver on the 100m, behind (1’02″36 to 1’02″53) the blue Alessandro Terrina circumstance that led him to be selected both for the European Championships in Madrid 2004 and for the Athens Olympics of the same year…
Experiences that end in a disappointing way, with managing to gain access to the Finals, despite the fact that in the Hellenic capital – where he is registered only for the distance of the 100m breaststroke, by far his favorite – he swims in 1’02”25, which only earns him 21st position in the heatbut given his young age there is certainly no shortage of time to improve.
And, in fact, already in the following year the 20-year-old Norwegian began to make his way among the most successful champions, reaching the Final of the 100m breaststroke at the Montreal World Championships at the end of July 2005, setting his personal limit with 1’01”28 in the semi-finalalmost equal with 1’01″29 in the final act which earned him seventh position, in a race in which yet another challenge took place between the two dominators of the time, namely the Japanese Kosuke Kitajima and the American Brendan Hansen, with the latter having the best this time (59″75 to 59″78) for just 0”03 cents…
World championship final in which Dale Oen also figures fifth at European level, a good start in view of the Continental Review scheduled from 26 July to 6 August 2006 in Budapest and to which he arrives having equaled his limit of 1’01″28 in the 100m breaststroke in the middle of the month in Trondheim to reach the Final, improving to 1’00″90.
With the French Hugues Duboscq, the Ukrainian Oleg Lisogor and the British Chris Cool having also qualified – third, fourth and sixth respectively the previous year in Athens – the Norwegian precedes them, giving rise to an exciting three-way challenge with Lisogor and the Russian Roman Sloudnov which sees the latter prevail in 1’00″61 ahead of Dale Oen and the Ukrainian (defending champion…) who finished in 1’00″63 and 1’00″64 respectively…
The continental silver proves that the now 22-year-old Scandinavian is on the right path to aspire to the highest international summits, an objective for which the events scheduled in the following two years are crucial, i.e. the World Championships scheduled for mid-March 2007 in Melbourne and the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
The first response is also lower than expected, given that Dale Oen, after having qualified for the 100m breaststroke final with the third best time of 1’00”69, finishing in eighth and last position in the challenge which again sees Hansen prevail (59″90 to 59″96) over Kitajima, a disappointment which may have been affected by the spring scheduling of the Iridata event, given the geographical location in the southern hemisphere of the Australian Metropolis…
Same programming, moreover, that they have 2008 European Championships taking place from 13 to 24 March 2008 in Eindhoven, given the seasonal concurrence with the Olympic Gamesbut this time having carried out a more adequate winter preparation ensured that in Norwegian Be was the protagonist of the breaststroke style, medaling in all three of the relevant events.
And if in the 50 and 200 meter breaststroke he obtained silver, setting the respective national records – preceded respectively (27”43 to 27”53) by Lisogor on the shortest distance and 2’09”64 to 2’09”74) by the Russian Grigory Falko on the longest – here in the Final of the 100m Dale Oen improves the continental record by beating Duboscq on the last touch (59″76 to 59″78), with Lisogor to complete the podium…
More than the European title, in view of the Beijing Games, it is worth it for the Scandinavian breaststroker having managed to get below the “clear 1′ barrier”, a necessary if not essential circumstance if one wants to have hopes of a medal at the Olympics, given the often mentioned presence of the two “sacred monsters” Kitajima and Hansen, with the latter having won the US Trials in 59”93.
In the Chinese capital, to comply with the requests of the US TV NBC, the competition times are reversed, so much so that for the 100m breaststroke the heats are scheduled for the evening of 9 August 2008, the semi-finals for the morning of the following day and the Final on the morning of 11 Augusta variation that doesn’t upset the ambitious Dale Oen too much…
In fact, right from the batteries, it proves to be in excellent condition record the best time of 59″41 to break the Olympic record set by Hansen with 1’00″01 four years earlier in Athens, and then do the same in the semi-final, winning the second series with a time of 59″16, i.e. just 0”03 cents from the absolute limit held by the American himself.
A Hansen, however, not in splendid form, who qualifies for the final act with the fifth time of 59″94, while Kitajima, slyly, limits himself to winning the first series in 59″55 and then tries to give it his all in the Final, he who, despite being defeated by the American at the last two World Championships, is still the reigning Olympic Champion…
And the fact that the 26-year-old Japanese played to save money is demonstrated in the Final which starts at 10.30 local time on 11 August 2008, even if at mid-race turn with Dale Oen first in 27″85, ahead of Hansen and Kitajima (27″97 and 28″03″ respectively)before the latter comes out better from underwater by fetching the head he kept until the final touch which saw him stop the clock on the new world record of 58″91with the Norwegian having little to complain about given that he finished in 59”20 which earned him the silverwhile Hansen had to settle for fourth place, surpassed (59″37 to 59″57) by Duboscq.
To be the first swimmer from his country to win an Olympic medal – in the same edition, however, Sara Nordensam also won the bronze in the final of the 200m breaststroke complete with a European record in 2’23”02 – it makes Dale Oen a character in his homeland and they expect him great things at the 2009 Rome World Championshipsalso given the absence of both Hansen and Kitajima…
And, instead, they reveal themselves to be a “empty passage” for the Norwegian who he didn’t even manage to qualify for the Final by swimming in 59″90 in an edition, moreover, characterized by the explosion of polyurethane costumes with consequent massacre of world records, including the recent one set by Kitajima, improved by the Australian Brenton Rickard who took the title by getting the better of Duboscq (58″58 to 58″64), also below the previous limit.
The so-called “rubberized costumes”, Dale Oen also finds himself on the podium again at the European Championships in Budapest 2010, where he confirmed the Eindhoven title in the 100m breaststroke by clearly prevailing (59”20 at 1’00”15) over Duboscq, doing the same on the double distance, where he was silver like two years before, this time preceded (2’08″95 to 2’09″68) by the Hungarian world champion Daniel Gyurta …
To definitively climb to the top of the specialty, the now 26-year-old Norwegian only needs the world title and the “Olympic Glory” and there cannot be a better test than the World Championships which take place in Shanghai in the second half of July 2011 where he is entered in the two tests of the 50m and 100m breaststroke…
In the swimming pool ofShanghai Oriental Sports Center” of the Asian Metropolis the sui race is staged first m.100 breaststroke, with heats and semi-finals scheduled for July 24th and the final the following daywith a much more lively Dale Oen to achieve the best time both in the heat with 59”71 and in the semi-final in 59”37 ahead of two-time Olympic champion Kitajima.
A situation similar to that of the Beijing Games – and, among other things, we are once again in China – but this time the outcome is diametrically opposite, with the Norwegian starting strong as usual, turning halfway through the race in 27″20 ahead of the 23-year-old South African Cameron Van der Burgh (world championship bronze in Rome 2009) and the Italian Fabio Scozzoliwhich pass in 27″52 and 27″82 respectively, with the Japanese chasing in 28″14, but this time unable to produce his peremptory return lap…
Vice versa, Dale Oen increases the pace of his strokes, so as to finish with the national record of 58″71 (as well as his “Personal Best” in career …) ed a wide margin over Scozzoli who, in the final stages, managed to precede the South African (59″42 to 59″49), while, for once, Kitajima remains on the edge of the podium.
Having also fallen below 59” net makes the Norwegian one of the most serious contenders for the Gold Medal at the London 2012 Olympicsin anticipation of which he is preparing in Arizona together with his national team teammates in view of the continental appointment set for May 15th in Debrecen, Hungary, where however he will never arrive…
It happens, in fact, that in the late evening of April 30, 2012, the not yet 27-year-old Dale Oen fell ill while taking a shower in the structure that hosted the Norwegian Team and, despite the intervention of his teammates who had become suspicious about the time he was spending in the bathroom, as well as the rush to the hospital, the doctors can only declare his death.
The autopsy discovered the causes, revealing how the unfortunate athlete suffered from a severe atherosclerotic coronary dysfunction, given that the three main arteries that fed the heart were up to 90% occluded by atherosclerotic plaque and that, therefore, death was caused by a myocardial infarction…
Surely very strange that with this situation Dale Oen was able to obtain times and results of such importance, while his entourage reported that the only risk factor was constituted by a “slightly elevated cholesterol level”.
The fact is that, evidently, the exams to grant suitability to practice sports had been carried out with great superficiality and it was a boy of just 27 years old who paid the price, moreover a loyal opponent, so much so that on the occasion of the two Breaststroke finals at the London Games, the winner of the 100m van den Burgh dedicates the statement to his unfortunate friend/rival, while Gyurta, won the double distancedonates a copy of his Gold Medal to Dale Oen’s family…
Who, in all likelihood, would have preferred to still have him with them…
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