Aleksanteri Saarvala (9 April 1913 – 7 October 1989) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

and Olympic champion. He competed at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

where he received a gold medal in ''

horizontal bar The horizontal bar, also known as the high bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal (typically steel) bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a syste ...

'', and a bronze medal in ''team combined exercises''."1936 Summer Olympics – Berlin, Germany – Gymnastics"
''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on March 29, 2008)

1948 Olympics

Saarvala also participated at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he finished shared 4th in ''

'', and 17th all-around. The Finnish team won gold medals, but as he was 7th best Finn he did not receive a medal.

References

External links

* 1913 births 1989 deaths Finnish male artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1936 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic gymnasts of Finland Olympic gold medalists for Finland Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Finland 20th-century Finnish people {{Finland-Olympic-medalist-stub