Juho Julius Saaristo (21 July 1891 – 12 October 1969) 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 ...

track and field athlete. He won two medals at the 1912 Olympics: a silver in conventional javelin throw and a gold in the two-handed javelin throw, a one-time Olympic event in which the total was a sum of best throws with the right hand and with the left hand. He finished fourth in the javelin throw at the 1920 Olympics. Saaristo held the Finnish national title in the javelin in 1910, 1911 and 1919.

Biography

Saaristo was born to Kaarlo Saaristo (Lindholm) and Wilhelmina Lindberg. He studied at the Tampere Industrial School in 1909–12, and from 1912 to 1915 studied machinery and electrical engineering at the Mitweida Technicum and at the Strelitz Technicum (now Technical School of Civil Engineering Neustrelitz) in Germany. In 1915 he enlisted to the German Army and was assigned to the 27th Jäger Battalion. He fought in World War I on the Eastern Front at the

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and the

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. On 25 February 1918 he returned to Finland and took part in the ongoing

Finnish Civil War The Finnish Civil War; . Other designations: Brethren War, Citizen War, Class War, Freedom War, Red Rebellion and Revolution, . According to 1,005 interviews done by the newspaper ''Aamulehti'', the most popular names were as follows: Civil W ...

as a commanding officer. He then continued serving with the Finnish Army, fought in World War II, and was discharged from service after the war ended. He died of a throat cancer, though he was not a smoker himself. In 1928 Saaristo married Olga Lydia Honkanen, they had two sons and an adopted daughter.

References

1891 births 1969 deaths Sportspeople from Tampere People from Häme Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) German Army personnel of World War I People of the Finnish Civil War (White side) Finnish military personnel of World War II Finnish male javelin throwers Olympic athletes of Finland Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Finland Olympic silver medalists for Finland Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Jägers of the Jäger Movement Deaths from throat cancer Deaths from cancer in Finland {{Finland-athletics-bio-stub