Alfred Alexander Maasik (26 January 1897 – 6 July 1990) was an Estonian race walker and long-distance runner. Maasik took up sports in 1912 and had his first major competitions ten years later. From 1926 to 1934 he lived between Estonia and United States, competing in cross-country, 10,000 m and

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

running events. In 1930 he finished second in the New York City Marathon with a time of 2:40:01. Shortly before the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

he was approached by Estonian officials, who could not afford sending a team to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and were looking for Estonians residing in the United States. Only

Osvald Käpp Osvald Käpp (17 February 1905 – 22 December 1995) was an Estonian wrestler who competed in freestyle and Greco-Roman lightweight events at the 1924, 1928 and 1932 Summer Olympics. He won the freestyle contest in 1928 and served as the Olympic ...

and Maasik agreed to compete on a short notice, with Maasik placing tenth in the 50 km walk. After 1934 he permanently stayed in the United States. He died at St. Anthony's Hospital in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

in 1990.

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* * * 1897 births 1990 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Estonia Estonian male racewalkers Estonian male long-distance runners Estonian male marathon runners Estonian emigrants to the United States Athletes from Tallinn {{Estonia-athletics-bio-stub