}
Veli Selim Saarinen (16 September 1902 – 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 ...
cross-country skier who competed in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.
In 1928 he finished fourth in the
18 km event. Four years later he won a gold in the 50 km and a bronze in the 18 km event, becoming the first Finnish cross-country skier to win an Olympic gold medal. Yet his biggest success came at the
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship e ...
, where he won six medals between 1926 and 1934, including three gold medals.
[
Domestically Saarinen won only two titles, over 50 km in 1930–31. In 1934 he retired from competitions and later coached the German (1934–1937) and Finnish (1937–1968) national cross-country skiing teams. In 1947–1968 he also served as a chief executive of the Finnish Skiing Federation.]
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games
* 2 medals – (1 gold, 1 bronze)
World Championships
* 6 medals – (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saarinen, Veli
1902 births
1969 deaths
People from Vyborg District
People from Viipuri Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
Finnish male cross-country skiers
Olympic cross-country skiers of Finland
Cross-country skiers at the 1928 Winter Olympics
Cross-country skiers at the 1932 Winter Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for Finland
Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing
Medalists at the 1932 Winter Olympics
People from Virolahti
Sportspeople from Kymenlaakso