FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- Alexander Dale Oen, the pride of Norway, took the world swimming championship just a year ago and served as a symbol of resilience and optimism in the aftermath of the horrendous massacre that rocked his homeland. Three days before Oen's victory, Anders Breivik ironically killed 77 of his own countrymen using tactics inspired by al Qaeda to protest Muslim terrorism. Norwegians had harbored high hopes of Oen earning a medal in the upcoming London Olympics, but the 26-year-old swimmer was found dead Tuesday of cardiac arrest in an Arizona pre-Olympic training camp. His demise, when the Norwegian consulate was finally informed, dashed the renewed spirits of a nation still fragile and reeling from the attacks perpetrated by Breivik.

Oen's death comes at a time when the constitutionality of Arizona's contentious and nuanced anti-immigration law is being argued before the Supreme Court. State officials blame this situation for the confusion that caused delays in notifying authorities in Norway. Governor Jan Brewer admitted that she misunderstood the report by police that "another foreigner died in Arizona after a long, hard swim."

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