Does anybody know anything about the Norwegian swimmer Alexander Dale Oen?

Question

I've asked this question before, and no one knows anything about him! I know he's 23 and from Norway. But I wanna know things like how he started his swimming career, if he speaks English, hobbies. etc.

does anybody know anything?

Answer 1

He started swimming when he was a kid, because he grew up 200 meters from the sea and went swimming and fishing every summer.  At age four, he started playing soccer and joined a team with his older brother, but he eventually realized that he wasn't that great at soccer, and he could be much more competitive in swimming.

Although I've never seen anything that specifically mentions he can speak English, pretty much everyone in Norway studies English in school, and by age 23, most Norwegians are quite fluent.

As for other information...

Family -   Mother, Father, Older Brother

Favorite Food -  His mother's meatloaf

Favorite Drink -  Fanta

Music -  Turbonegro (an amusing Norwegian "death punk" band)

TV -  Discovery Channel

Books -  Not much of a reader, but he reads Donald Duck comics (which are very popular in Norway)

Passion - Swimming.  "It's pretty much what my life is all about right now."

This is part of an interview with one of the Norwegian newspapers a few years ago when he placed 7th at the World Championships in Montreal:

Who is Alexander Dale Oen?

- I actually don't really know.  I'm an outgoing guy who likes to joke and have fun.  I don't take things too seriously.

Why don't you wear a swimming cap?

- I don't feel as comfortable with a cap on my head.  It's pretty unusual not to use it, but I don't do it just to create an image.  In the past, I've used one a bit.  I found a particular swim cap that isn't wrinkled at the top of my head, but I like swimming without one.

Where does your motivation come from?

- Results.  It's what keeps me going.  If I hadn't had the opponents, rankings, and personal records to beat, I wouldn't have had the same motivation.

What do you miss most when you're on the road?

- Being at home.  My family, friends, and girlfriend.  Everything.  But the loss is actually not a big problem for me.  I like to travel.  It's OK as long as I find some days at home between all the tours.  The worst is actually to have just one day at home before having to leave again.

Where does one buy shoes when you have swimming feet?

- I don't really have so big of feet.  My size is 45 and a half, and they are only a little bigger than average.  It's an advantage to have big feet when you swim, but it is an equally great advantage to be strong.

What will you do when you become old and gray?

- That I don't know.  I haven't thought so far ahead yet.  But I hope that I live in Øygarden or Bergen, and that I can look back and think that I have had a good life.

Answer 2

Alexander Dale Oen (born May 21, 1985) is a Norwegian swimmer. He represents the club Vestkantsvømmerne. Dale Oen's gold at the 2008 European Championships made him the first Norwegian male to win a medal at a major international long course championship.

Oen got his international breakthrough in 2005, placing seventh in 100 metre breaststroke during the 2005 World Aquatics Championships. During the European short course Championships in December the same year he swam the 100 m breaststroke in 59.05 seconds, placing fourth and setting a new Nordic record. He became the first Norwegian to swim this distance in less than 1 minute. At the Norwegian short course Championships two months later, he bettered that time to 58.81, a world best mark for the year.

For more on Alexander Dale Oen following the link below: