HAMAR, Norway, January 14. HUNGARIAN Olympic champion Daniel Gyurta traveled to Norway this weekend to participate in a special tribute to the late Alexander Dale Oen, handing over a special medal that he promised to give to the late world champion's family.
Gyurta, speaking in Norwegian at the Norwegian Sports Gala Saturday, presented a special medal to Robin Dale Oen that reportedly featured a portrait of Alexander Dale Oen on one side and the London Tower on the other side.
Dale Oen was primed to be a challenger for the gold medal in the 100 breaststroke at the London Olympics, but died last April after a sudden heart attack while training in Flagstaff, Ariz., with the Norwegian national team.
Cameron van der Burgh, the winner of the 100 breast at the Olympics, was a longtime friend of Dale Oen and dedicated the win to his fallen friend. Gyurta won the 200 breast title a few days later, and told media in London that he planned to have an exact replica of his gold medal made and delivered to the Dale Oen family. Since International Olympic Committee rules forbid replicas of Olympic medals, Gyurta had a special medal commissioned.
Below, see video of the medal presentation:
The night also featured a video retrospective of Dale Oen's career and a special award in Alex's honor, accepted by his brother Robin:
In other news at the event, Dale Oen's coach Petter Loevberg received coach of the year honors: