Mikko Hietanen (1911–1999) was a Finnish long-distance runner, European Champion and world record holder, who competed for his native country at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

London 1948 The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London London is the capital and largest city of England ...

and in

Helsinki 1952 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 ...

Biography

Mikko Hietanen was born in Uusikirkko,

Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...

, 22 September 1911. He died in

Laukaa Laukaa (; sv, Laukas) is a municipality of Finland. It is located next to Jyväskylä and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The ...

, Central Finland, 3 February 1999.

Career

Hietanen is best known for winning the gold medal in the men's marathon at the 1946 European Championships in Oslo, Norway. In Oslo 1946, the marathon race took place on 22 August, which was the first day of the championships. At the same time, the final of the 10000 meter race was being held. As Viljo Heino of

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

was running towards victory in the 10000 meters, his fellow countryman Mikko Hietanen entered Bislett Stadium as leader of the marathon. Inside the stadium, the marathon runners were running clockwise to the finish line using the outside lane. It so happened, that Heino and Hietanen met each other on the track as they were both running towards victory. In the marathon, Mikko Hietanen had the fastest time in the world in 1946, 1947 and 1948. During his career, he set six new world records at distances between 15 miles and 30000 meters. Mikko Hietanen was not very successful in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

. He took part in the marathon in

, but did not finish the race due to promblems with his

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

. Four years later, on home soil in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, he finished in 17th place. Hietanen became Finnish champion in marathon four years in a row between 1945 and 1948.''Mikko Hietasen syntymästä 100 vuotta''
Retrieved on 2015-07-27.

Achievements

World records

*25,000 m world record with 1:20.58,8 in Vuoksenniska, 17 June 1946 *25,000 m world record with 1:20.14,0 in Kokkola, 23 May 1948 *30,000 m world record with 1:40.49,8 in Jyväskylä, 28 September 1947 *30,000 m world record with 1:40.46,4 in Jyväskylä, 20 June 1948 *15 miles world record with 1:17.28,6 in Kokkola, 23 May 1948 *20 miles world record with 1:49.20,8 in Jyväskylä, 20 June 1948

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hietanen, Mikko 1911 births 1999 deaths People from Vyborg District People from Viipuri Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish male long-distance runners Finnish male marathon runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Finland European Athletics Championships medalists