Åke Wilhelm Söderlund (11 April 1925 – 25 August 2002) was a Swedish

racewalking Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asses ...

athlete. He competed at the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

with the best result of 18th place in the 20 km event in 1964. Söderlund twice competed at the

European Athletics Championships The European Athletics Championships is a biennial (from 2010) athletics event organised by the European Athletic Association and is recognised as the elite continental outdoor athletics championships for Europe. Editions First held, for me ...

, but failed to finish the

50 kilometres race walk The 50 kilometre race walk was an Olympic athletics event that first appeared in 1932 and made its final Olympic appearance in 2021. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and th ...

. He also took part in the

IAAF World Race Walking Cup The World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships is a racewalking event organised by World Athletics. It has been held since 1961, and generally on a biennial basis. The first women's edition of the event happened in 1979. It was formerly know ...

twice, winning a bronze medal in the 50 km event in 1961 and placing 12th in the 20 km in 1967. Söderlund won three Nordic Race Walking Championships, in the 20 km in 1957 and 1967 and in the 50 km in 1961. Söderlund later competed in the masters category and won the 25 km event at the

1975 World Association of Veteran Athletes Championships 1975 World Association of Veteran Athletes Championships is the first in a series of World Masters Athletics Championships#Outdoor Championships, World Outdoor Championships (also called World Masters Track and Field Championships). The first in ...

. His twin brother

Erik The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Nor ...

was also an elite racewalker.

International competitions

National titles

*50 km walk: 1961Swedish Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 17 April 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soderlund, Ake 1925 births 2002 deaths Athletes from Stockholm Swedish male race walkers Olympic athletes for Sweden Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics 21st-century Swedish people 20th-century Swedish sportsmen