Finland at the 1920 Summer Olympics

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Finland at the
1920 Summer Olympics
IOC codeFIN
NOCFinnish Olympic Committee
Websitesport.fi/olympiakomitea (in Finnish and Swedish)
in Antwerp
Competitors63 (62 men, 1 woman) in 9 sports
Flag bearerEmil Hagelberg
Medals
Ranked 4th
Gold
15
Silver
10
Bronze
9
Total
34
Summer Olympics appearances (
overview)
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

Finland competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium for the first time as a fully independent state. It did compete at the previous Olympics, however, only as the Russian-dependent Grand Duchy of Finland. 63 competitors, 62 men and 1 woman, took part in 51 events in 9 sports.[1]

Medalists

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Aquatics

Diving

Three divers, all men, represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's third appearance in the sport. Valkama was the only diver to advance to a final, placing fifth in the plain high diving. This result matched Finland's best diving result to date.

Men

Ranks given are within the semifinal group.

Diver Event Semifinals Final
Points Score Rank Points Score Rank
Kalle Kainuvaara 10 m platform 35 356.80 7 did not advance
Plain high dive 15 160.0 4 did not advance
Lauri Kyöstilä 10 m platform 21 441.80 4 did not advance
Yrjö Valkama Plain high dive 14 157.0 3 Q 23 167.5 5

Swimming

A single swimmer represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's third appearance in the sport as well as the Olympics. Aaltonen won bronze medals in both of his breaststroke events. They were Finland's first Olympic swimming medals; Aaltonen had been the first Finn to advance to a swimming event final.

Ranks given are within the heat.

Men
Swimmer Event Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Arvo Aaltonen 200 m breast 3:11.6 2 Q 3:12.4 2 Q 3:12.2 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
400 m breast 6:50.0 2 Q 6:45.0 1 Q 6:48.0 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Athletics

26 athletes represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's third appearance in athletics, a sport in which Finland had competed each time the country appeared at the Olympics. The Finnish team garnered nine gold medals, matching the United States for the most in that category. With only about a quarter of the number of athletes, however, the Finns could not match the depth of the United States and finished with 13 fewer total medals.

The Finland team's greatest successes came in long distance running events (gold medals in the 10,000 metres, marathon, individual cross country, and team cross country) and throwing events (golds in the discus throw, shot put, and javelin throw—sweeping the medals in the latter). They also took the championships in the triple jump and the pentathlon.

Ranks given are within the heat.

Athlete Event Heats Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Hannes Kolehmainen Marathon N/A 2:32:35.8 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Tatu Kolehmainen Marathon N/A 2:44:02.3 10
Teodor Koskenniemi 5000 m N/A 15:22.0 3 Q 15:17.0 4
Cross country N/A 27:57.2 6
Heikki Liimatainen
10000 m
N/A 32:08.2 1 Q 32:28.0 7
Cross country N/A 27:37.0 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Hannes Miettinen Cross country N/A Unknown 23
Paavo Nurmi 5000 m N/A 15:33.0 2 Q 15:00.0 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
10000 m
N/A 33:46.3 2 Q 31:45.8 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Cross country N/A 27:15.0 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Eino Rastas Cross country N/A Unknown 18
Oskari Rissanen 3000 m steeplechase N/A 11:07.5 3 Q did not start
Urho Tallgren Marathon N/A 2:42:40.0 9
Juho Tuomikoski Marathon N/A 2:40:18.8 5
Ilmari Vesamaa 5000 m N/A 15:54.4 4 did not advance
3000 m steeplechase N/A 10:32.2 4 did not advance
Cross country N/A Unknown 14
Valdemar Wickholm 400 m hurdles N/A 57.9 3 did not advance
Erik Wilén 400 m 52.0 2 Q 51.0 4 did not advance
400 m hurdles N/A 58.4 2 Q Unknown 5 did not advance
Teodor Koskenniemi
Heikki Liimatainen
Paavo Nurmi
Cross country N/A 10 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Athlete Event Qualifying Final
Result Rank Result Rank
Pekka Johansson
Javelin throw 63.095 2 Q 63.095 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Hugo Lahtinen Long jump 6.19 19 did not advance
Eero Lehtonen Long jump 6.285 16 did not advance
Jonni Myyrä Discus throw 37.00 12 did not advance
Javelin throw 60.63 3 Q 65.78 OR 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Elmer Niklander Shot put 14.155 1 Q 14.155 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Discus throw 44.685 1 Q 44.685 1st place, gold medalist(s)
56 lb weight throw 8.865 8 did not advance
Ossian Nylund Triple jump 13.74 7 did not advance
Urho Peltonen Javelin throw 63.605 OR 1 Q 63.605 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Johan Pettersson Hammer throw 41.76 11 did not advance
56 lb weight throw 9.375 6 Q 9.375 6
Ville Pörhölä Shot put 14.035 3 Q 14.81 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Discus throw 38.19 8 did not advance
56 lb weight throw 8.85 9 did not advance
Jussi Ruoho Pole vault 3.60 1 Q 3.40 12
Julius Saaristo Javelin throw 60.045 5 Q 62.395 4
Armas Taipale Shot put 12.945 10 did not advance
Discus throw 44.19 2 Q 44.19 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Vilho Tuulos Triple jump 14.505 1 Q 14.505 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Athlete Event Final
Total Rank
Pekka Johansson Decathlon did not finish
Hugo Lahtinen Pentathlon 26 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Decathlon did not finish
Eero Lehtonen Pentathlon 14 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Decathlon did not finish
Jonni Myyrä Pentathlon did not finish
Ossian Nylund Pentathlon did not finish
Valdemar Wickholm Decathlon 6405.460 6

Equestrian

A single equestrian represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Wilkman competed in the eventing competition, placing 17th.

Equestrian Horse Event Final
Result Rank
Oskar Wilkman Meno
Eventing
1282.50 17

Modern pentathlon

Two pentathletes represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport.

A point-for-place system was used, with the lowest total score winning.

Pentathlete Final
Riding Fencing Shooting Swimming Running Total Rank
Emil Alfons Hagelberg
10 3 21 9 8 51 7
Kalle Kainuvaara did not finish

Skating

Figure skating

Three figure skaters represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. The Jakobssons, a married couple, won the pairs competition. Ilmanen placed fifth of nine in the men's singles.

Skater Event Final
Result Rank
Sakari Ilmanen Men's singles 30.0 5
Ludowika Jakobsson
Walter Jakobsson
Pairs
7.0 1st place, gold medalist(s)

Shooting

Nine shooters represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's third appearance in the sport as well as the Olympics. The Finns were looking to improve upon the pair of bronze medals they had won in 1912, which was the country's best result to date. They were successful, taking a silver medal in the team running deer single shots competition as well as another pair of bronzes in other team competitions.

Shooter Event Final
Result Rank
Voitto Kolho 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. 974 7
Yrjö Kolho
100 m deer, single shots
40 4
Kalle Lappalainen 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. 945 Unknown
Veli Nieminen 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. 934 Unknown
Trap Unknown
Toivo Tikkanen
100 m deer, single shots
40 5
Vilho Vauhkonen 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. 966 Unknown
300 m military rifle, prone 59 4
Magnus Wegelius 300 m free rifle, 3 pos. 849 Unknown
300 m military rifle, standing 51 Unknown
600 m military rifle, prone 51 Unknown
Voitto Kolho
Yrjö Kolho
Nestor Toivonen
50 m team free pistol
2052 11
Voitto Kolho
Kalle Lappalainen
Veli Nieminen
Vilho Vauhkonen
Magnus Wegelius
Team free rifle
4668 4
300 m team military rifle, prone 281 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
600 m team military rifle, prone 268 8
300 & 600 m team military rifle, prone 524 10
Voitto Kolho
Kalle Lappalainen
Nestor Toivonen
Vilho Vauhkonen
Magnus Wegelius
300 m team military rifle, standing 235 7
Yrjö Kolho
Kalle Lappalainen
Toivo Tikkanen
Nestor Toivonen
Magnus Wegelius
100 m team deer, single shots
159 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Yrjö Kolho
Toivo Tikkanen
Nestor Toivonen
Vilho Vauhkonen
Magnus Wegelius
100 m team deer, double shots 285 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)

Weightlifting

A single weightlifter represented Finland in 1920. It was the nation's debut in the sport. Ekström competed in the light heavyweight category, but did not finish the competition.

Weightlifter Event Final
Result Rank
Rudolf Ekström 82.5 kg did not finish

Wrestling

Eighteen wrestlers competed for Finland in 1920. It was the nation's third appearance in the sport as well as the Olympics. The Finland team was the most successful of any country, taking fully half of the gold medals as well as twice as many total medals as any other country. Twelve of the eighteen wrestlers won medals.

Nine of the ten Greco-Roman wrestlers won medals, including three gold medals. The Finns swept the top two places in two of the five events, won two medals in two other events, and took one medal in the fifth. The Finnish wrestlers won 84% of their matches, a percentage that rises to 89% when matches between two men from Finland are excluded.

The eight freestyle wrestlers were also successful, taking two of a possible five gold medals, but not to the extent of the Greco-Roman wrestlers. Only three of the eight took medals, and the winning percentage was a less-staggering though still respectable 70%.

Freestyle

Wrestler Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals / Bronze match Rank
Kalle Anttila Lightweight N/A  Deligny (FRA) (W)  Shimmon (USA) (W)  Thys (BEL) (W)  Svensson (SWE) (W) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Johan Gallén Light heavyweight N/A  Roosen (BEL) (W)  
Larsson (SWE
) (L)
did not advance 5
Eino Leino
Middleweight Bye  Bron (SUI) (W)  Janssens (BEL) (W)  
Johnson (USA
) (W)
 Penttala (FIN) (W) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Kaarlo Mäkinen Featherweight N/A  Gerson (USA) (L) did not advance 9
Sven Mattsson Heavyweight N/A  Pendleton (USA) (L) did not advance 5
Väinö Penttala Middleweight  Backsman (FRA) (W)  Bacon (GBR) (W)  Derkinderen (BEL) (W)  Frantz (USA) (W)  
Leino (FIN
) (L)
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Jussi Salila
Heavyweight N/A  Roth (SUI) (L) did not advance 5
Emil Westerlund Light heavyweight N/A  Rhys (GBR) (W)  Maurer (USA) (L) did not advance 5

Greco-Roman

Wrestler Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Rank
Silver quarters Silver semis Silver match
Bronze quarters Bronze semis Bronze match
Oskari Friman Featherweight Bye  Gallery (USA) (W)  Svensson (SWE) (W)  Boumans (BEL) (W)  Kähkönen (FIN) (W) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
N/A Won gold
Won gold
Heikki Kähkönen Featherweight Bye  Brian (USA) (W)  
Torgensen (DEN
) (W)
 Pütsep (EST) (W)  Friman (FIN) (L) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
N/A  Svensson (SWE) (W)  Boumans (BEL) (W)
Won silver
Adolf Lindfors Heavyweight  Gasiglia (FRA) (W)  Willkie (USA) (W)  Dame (FRA) (W)  Hansen (DEN) (W)  Ahlgren (SWE) (W) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Won gold
Won gold
Arthur Lindfors Middleweight  Christensen (DEN) (W)  Johnsen (NOR) (W)  Balej (TCH) (W)  Szymanski (USA) (W)  
Westergren (SWE
) (L)
2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Bye  Eillebrecht (NED) (W)  Perttilä (FIN) (W)
Won silver
Martin Nieminen
Heavyweight Bye  Larsen (DEN) (W)  Hansen (DEN) (L) did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
did not advance
Bye  Willkie (USA) (W)  
Weyand (USA
) (W)
Matti Perttilä Middleweight  Cornelis (BEL) (W)  Nielsen (DEN) (W)  
Fältström (SWE
) (W)
 
Westergren (SWE
) (L)
Did not advance 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Bye  Vanderleenden (BEL) (W)  Lindfors (FIN) (L)
Bye  Eillebrecht (NED) (W)  Johnsen (NOR) (W)
Anders Rajala Light heavyweight Bye  Tázler (TCH) (W)  
Wahlem (BEL
) (L)
did not advance 7
N/A did not advance
N/A
Edil Rosenqvist Light heavyweight Bye  
Johansson (SWE
) (L)
did not advance 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
N/A  Tetens (DEN) (W)  Eriksen (DEN) (W)
N/A
Taavi Tamminen Lightweight Bye  Kopřiva (TCH) (W)  Frydenlund (NOR) (W)  Andersen (NOR) (W)  Väre (FIN) (W) 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Bye  Janssens (BEL) (W)  
Frisenfeldt (DEN
) (W)
Won silver
Emil Väre Lightweight  Christiansen (DEN) (W)  Rohon (FRA) (W)  Janssens (BEL) (W)  
Frisenfeldt (DEN
) (W)
 Tamminen (FIN) (W) 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Won gold
Won gold

References

  1. ^ "Finland at the 1920 Antwerp Summer Games". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2012-06-23.

External links