Heikki Vihtori Hasu (born 21 March 1926) is a Finnish retired
Nordic skier
Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Re ...
who competed in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.
Career
He won a gold and a silver medal in the individual
Nordic combined
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924, while the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup ...
event, respectively, and a gold in the 4 × 10 km cross-country relay in 1952. He placed fourth in the individual 18 km race at both Olympics, losing the bronze medal by seconds and served as the
Finnish flag bearer in 1952.
[
Hasu won two medals at the 1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, with a gold in the Nordic combined and a silver in the 4 × 10 km relay. He won the Nordic combined event at the ]Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( no, Holmenkollen skifestival or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic.
History
It takes place in March ...
in 1953. Hasu became the first Finn to be awarded the Holmenkollen medal in 1952 (shared with Stein Eriksen
Stein Eriksen (11 December 1927 – 27 December 2015) was an alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist from Norway. Following his racing career, he was a ski school director and ambassador at various resorts in the United States.
Background ...
, Torbjørn Falkanger
Torbjørn Falkanger (8 October 1927 in Trondheim – 16 July 2013) was a Norwegian ski jumper who was active in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Falkanger earned a silver medal at the 1952 Winter Olympics in ski jumping and also won the Ho ...
and Nils Karlsson
Nils Emanuel Karlsson (25 June 1917 – 16 June 2012), better known as Mora-Nisse, was a Swedish cross-country skier. Karlsson won gold in the 50 km event at the 1948 Winter Olympics and nine Vasaloppet victories.
Biography
He was born nea ...
). He is also the last Holmenkollen medalist to win in more than one nordic skiing discipline. Hasu was selected as the Finnish Sportsperson of the Year in 1948 and 1950.[
Hasu was a farmer, and after retiring from competitions served two terms in the ]Parliament of Finland
The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
in 1962–66 and 1967–70. A statue in his honor is erected in Anjalankoski.
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games
* 1 medal – (1 gold)
World Championships
*1 medal – (1 silver)
References
External links
* . Cross-country skiing
* . Nordic combined
Holmenkollen medalists
– click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file
Holmenkollen winners since 1892
– click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasu, Heikki
1926 births
Living people
People from Kouvola
Cross-country skiers at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 1952 Winter Olympics
Finnish male cross-country skiers
Finnish male Nordic combined skiers
Holmenkollen medalists
Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners
Nordic combined skiers at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Nordic combined skiers at the 1952 Winter Olympics
Olympic cross-country skiers of Finland
Olympic Nordic combined skiers of Finland
Olympic gold medalists for Finland
Olympic silver medalists for Finland
Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing
Olympic medalists in Nordic combined
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in Nordic combined
Medalists at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1952 Winter Olympics
Sportspeople from Kymenlaakso
20th-century Finnish people