Alexander Dale Oen Dies While Training for London Olympics 2012

The entire nation of Norway is mourning today as champion swimmer Alexander Dale Oen has died in Flagstaff, Ariz. from cardiac arrest while participating in a training camp for this summer's Olympic Games in London, according to the Associated Press.

The 26-year-old Oen won the 100-meter breaststroke at last year's World Championships and earned a silver medal in the event at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He was considered a favorite for the event in London and figured to be among the top contenders for the gold.

According to the Associated Press report, Oen was found collapsed on a bathroom floor and was pronounced dead upon his arrival to the Flagstaff Medical Center.

Oen was a trailblazer in the sport of swimming for Norway and was the most decorated swimmer in the country's history at a young age. His gold medal at the World Championships was the first ever for Norway and his silver in Beijing was Norway's first Olympic medal of any kind in swimming.

Despite the fact that Oen was Norwegian, the bulk of his swimming training took place in the United States. He attended Auburn University and competed on the Tigers' swimming team.

No further details on Oen's untimely death have been released at this point, but an autopsy figures to be forthcoming. Nobody ever expects an elite athlete to be cut down in their prime, but that is what happened to Oen, and it makes his loss even more tragic.