Eero Kolehmainen

Eero Johannes Kolehmainen ( born March 24, 1918 in Anttola, † December 7, 2013 in Mikkeli ) was a Finnish cross-country skiers.

Kolehmainen's greatest successes were in the period after the Second World War. At the age of 33 he won the silver medal in the 50 km cross-country ski behind his compatriot Veikko Hakulinen at the Olympic Winter Games 1952 in Oslo. Four years later, the Italian Cortina d'Ampezzo, he was fourth in the 50 km victory of Sweden Sixten Jernberg. At the World Championships he came in 1954 in Falun to eleventh place in Lahti in 1958 to fifth.

His first major international success came Kolehmainen 1950 at the Holmenkollen games, when he won the 18 -km cross-country skiing. In 1957, he won the race over 50km and was honored in the same year with the Holmenkollen medal. 1956 and 1957 he won the 50 km at the Salpausselkä Games in Lahti. In 1959 he became Finnish Champion with 41 years in Kajaani.

Kolehmainen belonged to the sports club Anttolan Urheilijat to his hometown. In 2003 he received the Finnish athlete award per Urheilu. Kolehmainen died on December 7, 2013 at the age of 95 years.