Personal information | |
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Nationality | Finnish |
Born | Noormarkku, Finland | 20 December 1933
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
Weight | 74 kg (163 lb) |
Sport | |
Country | Finland |
Sport | Athletics |
Event | Middle distance running |
Club | RU-38, Kaipolan Vire |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best |
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Olavi Salonen (born 20 December 1933 in Noormarkku) is a Finnish athlete. He is a former world record holder of men's 1500-metre run.
Salonen participated the Summer Olympic Games in 1500 m. in 1960 and 1964. At the European Athletics Championships he competed twice on 800 metres, 1958 and 1962
On 11 July 1957 Salonen ran a 1500-metre race in Turku. He finished second with the same world record time 3:40.2 as the winner Olavi Salsola. The new world record stood only for one day. Czech runner Stanislav Jungwirth ran 3:38.1 on the next day at Stará Boleslav. [1]
Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1500 m came about as a result of running 3+3⁄4 laps of a 400 m outdoor track or 7+1⁄2 laps of a 200 m indoor track, which were commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century.
Hicham El Guerrouj is a retired Moroccan middle-distance runner. El Guerrouj is the current world record holder for the 1500 metres and mile events, and the former world record holder in the 2000 metres. He is the only man since Paavo Nurmi to win a gold medal in both the 1500 m and 5000 metres at the same Olympic Games.
Claes Arne Borg was a Swedish swimmer. He is best known for breaking 32 world records and winning five Olympic medals in the 1920s. In 1926 Borg won the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, shared with Edvin Wide. Next year, at the 1927 European Championships, he set a new world record in the 1500 m at 19:07.2 which stood for nearly 11 years. Besides swimming, Borg also won a European silver medal in water polo in 1926. His twin brother Åke was also an Olympic medalist in swimming.
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Antti Olavi Loikkanen is a Finnish former middle-distance and endurance runner. Loikkanen was one of Finland's most successful 800 meter and 1500 meter runners in the beginning of the 1980s. His greatest achievements were in indoor athletics competitions.
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Shiro Hashizume was a Japanese Olympic freestyle swimmer. He won the silver medal in the men's 1500m freestyle at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. He broke the world record in the same event on August 16, 1949, clocking 18:35.7. That time was bettered the same day, however, by compatriot Hironoshin Furuhashi at the American Swimming Championships in Los Angeles, California.
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The 1500 metres speed skating event was part of the speed skating at the 1956 Winter Olympics programme. The competition was held on naturally frozen ice on the Lake Misurina. It was held on Monday, 30 January 1956, started at 2 PM and ended at 4:05 PM. Fifty-four speed skaters from 18 nations competed.
Athletics records progressions outline the lineage and improvement of the best ratified marks in a particular athletics event.
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Olavi is a Finnish masculine given name from Olav/Olaf name. Notable people with the name include:
Rosenlewin Urheilijat-38, RU-38 for short, was a sports club based in Pori, Finland. It was founded in 1938 by the W. Rosenlew Company. The club was best known by its football and ice hockey sections. In 1967 RU-38 merged with another local club, Karhut, forming a new club named Ässät.
Olavi Salsola was a Finnish male middle distance runner.
Stanislav Jungwirth was a Czechoslovak middle-distance runner. Jungwirth came third in the 1500 metres at the 1954 European Championships and set a world record for the same distance in 1957.
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Olavi Luoto was a Finnish middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 1500 metres at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Olavi Vuorisalo is a Finnish middle-distance runner. He competed in the men's 1500 metres at the 1960 Summer Olympics.