Eeles Enok Landström (3 January 1932 – 29 June 2022) was a Finnish

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

er, a member of the

Finnish parliament 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 P ...

, and a business executive. He won two European titles, in 1954 and 1958, and competed at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 1960 and finishing seventh in 1956. Landström also placed 14th in the

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at the 1952 games and was selected as the Olympic flag bearer for Finland in 1956 and 1960.

Biography

Landström was born in Viiala on 3 January 1932. Landström studied in the

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at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and graduated as

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in 1959. He was a two-time

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champion in pole vaulting while at Michigan, in 1956 and 1959. In 1961 he became the first Finnish participant at the Olympic Academy arranged by the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Landström was a member of the

from 1966 to 1971 and worked also in executive positions, for example as Assistant Director of Finance in the

Finnish Broadcasting Company Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock compa ...

in 1976–1981 and as a member of the Administrative Council of the Finnish Broadcasting Company in 1967 to 1976. He was granted the Finnish honorary title of sosiaalineuvos in 2008. Landström participated in the International

Inter-Parliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; , UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; other initiatives include advancing g ...

(IPU) as a board member of Finland’s group and as a representative of Finland in the

European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...

, nominated by the Finnish Broadcasting Company. Landström has written two youth novels (1966, 1974) and a biography (2002). His first novel was awarded as the best Finnish youth novel in 1966. Landström died on 29 June 2022 at the age of 90.

Achievements in pole vaulting

Landström participated in 30 international competitions, winning 25 of them in a row. His best achievements were European gold medals in 1954 and 1958, the only medals Finland won in these competitions. He also won eight consecutive Finnish titles in 1953–1960 and improved the Finnish record 13 times in 1954–1958. He improved the European record three times in 1955–1956 and set an Australian record in 1956. In 1961, he won the Nordic Championship. In 2008 Landström received the Finnish Pro Urheilu award for his athletic achievements.

Television and theater

A television documentary was made on Landström and his life in 1997, directed by Ville-Veikko Salminen. He was also the center figure in a play, which was written and directed by Jorma Kairimo. The premiere of the play ”Eeles – kohti päämäärää” (Eeles – towards the goal) took place in Akaa, Finland, in September 2008.

References

External links

Chris Turner: HISTORY OF FINNISH ATHLETICS

Finnish Olympic Committee: Statistics by Games
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Landstrom, Eeles 1932 births 2022 deaths People from Viiala Members of the Parliament of Finland (1966–1970) Finnish male pole vaulters Michigan Wolverines men's track and field athletes Athletes (track and field) at the 1952 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1956 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Finland Olympic bronze medalists for Finland Pesäpallo players European Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Finnish sportsperson-politicians Finnish business executives 20th-century Finnish businesspeople Finnish Athletics Championships winners 20th-century Finnish sportsmen