Kristina Elisabeth (Elli) Björkstén (16 October 1870 – 6 March 1947) was a Finnish gymnastics coach and theorist. Björkstén was the first coach in the Nordic countries to separate from the usual military gymnastics. She also served as the inaugural president of the Scandinavian Association for Women Gymnastics, however disliked competitive sports.

Early life

Björkstén was born in 1870 in

Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Karelia. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lappeenranta is approximately , while the Lappeenranta sub-r ...

into a Swedish-speaking family as the only girl to parents Johan Isak Björkstén and Elise Ollongrén. The Ollongrén family was a Swedish military family. As a child, her family moved to Forssa when the father got a provincial medical service in Tammela, and she grew up alongside

Christian Sibelius Christian Sibelius (28 March 1869 – 2 July 1922) was a Finland, Finnish doctor and professor of psychiatry. Sibelius was born in Hämeenlinna. He became a Bachelor of Arts in 1889 and a doctor of medicine in 1897, and in the same year became a ...

. Björkstén trained as a gymnastics coach in Elin Asp's Institute in Helsinki and took a sabbatical to learn German gymnastics.

Coaching career

While working as the head teacher for women's gymnastics at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki (, ; UH) is a public university in Helsinki, Finland. The university was founded in Turku in 1640 as the Royal Academy of Åbo under the Swedish Empire, and moved to Helsinki in 1828 under the sponsorship of Alexander ...

, Björkstén began to question the legitimacy of the

Pehr Henrik Ling Pehr Henrik Ling (15 November 1776 – 3 May 1839) pioneered the teaching of physical education and gymnastics in Sweden. He is considered the Father of Physical Therapy in Sweden. Although his procedures included friction, kneading, stroking, cu ...

method of gymnastics. She found the traditional, military-style gymnastics too stiff and formal when it should be, in her opinion, stimulating experience in everyday life. As a result, Björkstén developed a newer form of gymnastics which focused on freedom, energy, liveliness, and rhythm in movements. She was appointed the head coach of the Finnish gymnastics team at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

and her method became widespread across Europe. Prior to her influence, there had been no distinction between male and female gymnasts. Although she coached the Olympic team, Björkstén disliked competitive sports and medal for she questioned the health benefits of hard training. Following the Olympic Games, Björkstén became the first chair of the Swedish Federation of Physical Education for Women in Finland and the first lecturer in educational gymnastics at the Institute of Physical Education. She also served as the inaugural president of the Scandinavian Association for Women Gymnastics and held courses in Scandinavian countries every year. As a result of her gymnastics theory, she was invited to become Honorary member of The Ling Association and received official recognition in Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. Björkstén died in 1947 in Helsinki, at the age of 76.

Selected publications

*''Principles of gymnastics for women and girls''

Early life

Coaching career

Selected publications

References

Further reading