Elsa Backus (; born 19 December 1930) is a Finnish

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

. She competed in the women's javelin throw at the

1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

. Torikka was married to American hammer thrower

Bob Backus Robert ("Bob") Hudson Backus (July 11, 1926 – June 30, 1999) was an American track and field athlete who set List of world records in athletics, world records in the hammer throw. He wore ballet slippers during competition and after using weight ...

, whom she had met in Helsinki in 1956. She became a U.S. citizen in 1961.

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* 1930 births Living people People from Jaala Sportspeople from Kouvola Finnish female javelin throwers Olympic athletes for Finland Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics American people of Finnish descent Finnish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Naturalized citizens of the United States {{Finland-athletics-bio-stub