Heikki Savolainen (gymnast)
Heikki Ilmari Savolainen ( born September 28, 1907 in Joensuu, † November 29, 1997 in Kajaani ) was a Finnish gymnast. He won five Olympic medals, including two gold, one silver and six bronze medals.
Life
Already in 1908 in London and 1912 in Stockholm Finnish gymnast who won medals in the team competition. 1928 in Amsterdam, won the 21- year-old student Savolainen bronze on pommel horse behind the Swiss Hermann Hänggi and George Kitty. He was the first Finnish gymnast who won a medal in an individual competition at the Olympic Games. 1931 closed Savolainen from the sports teacher studies and worked as a physiotherapist. But he simultaneously continued his studies with a focus on medicine.
1932 occurred in Los Angeles, only five nations with a complete team. The Finnish team was third behind the Italians and the Americans. In multiplayer fight the Italians Romeo Neri won with nearly six points ahead of Hungary István Pelle and Savolainen. Also behind Neri and Pelle won Savolainen bronze on parallel bars. On stretching the American Dallas Bixler won. Savolainen and his compatriot Einari Teräsvirta had behind it the same score. The prescribed jump-off for silver and bronze but was not discharged. The Finnish team lead was instead announced that it had internal team decided that Savolainen silver and bronze Teräsvirta get.
1936 in Berlin Savolainen won again bronze with the team behind the teams from Germany and Switzerland. In 1939 he received his doctorate and began working as a doctor in Kajaani. During the Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union, he had the rank of lieutenant colonel chief physician in a military hospital.
Twelve years after the Berlin Olympics won the Finnish team at the Olympic Games in London ahead of Switzerland and Hungary. Savolainen came as sechtstärkster Turner his team just in the standings. On pommel horse after the race with 38.70 points had the all-around winner Veikko Huhtanen, the all-around third Paavo Aaltonen and Savolainen the same result. A jump-off was not provided, all three Finns were Olympic Gold.
24 years after his first Olympic medal, was also Savolainen 1952 in Helsinki in the Finnish squad. At the opening ceremony he said the Olympic oath. With the team he won the bronze medal behind the Soviet Union, who took part for the first time, and behind Switzerland.
Savolainen was the first, who won six Olympic bronze medals. This performance was later hired by Harri Kirvesniemi, Alexei Nemov and Franziska van Almsick, it was surpassed by 2007 not.
Savolainen remained after the end of his career Turner. Even with seventy years he mastered the giant wheel on the horizontal bar and circle edges on Pommel Horse. 2004 Heikki Savolainen was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. His five sons were all male, it could but none come close to the achievements of his father.
Olympic rankings
- Summer Olympic Games 1928 6th place in the all around
- 3rd place on Pommel Horse
- 5th place in the team classification
- 3rd place in the all around
- Place 2 on the high bar
- 3rd place on bars
- Place 6 on the ground
- 7th place on Pommel Horse
- Place 7 on the rings
- 3rd place in the team standings
- 9th place in the all around
- Place 5 on the horizontal bar
- 7th place on parallel bars
- 3rd place in the team standings
- 14th place in the all around
- Place one on Pommel Horse
- 6th place on bars
- 1st place in the team standings
- 29th place in the all around
- Place 4 on the horizontal bar
- 3rd place in the team standings