Heino Lipp
Encyclopedia
Heino Lipp was an Estonia
n athlete, who was one of the greatest decathlete in the decade of the 1940s, but was never able to compete in the Olympic Games
, because was never allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union
dominated Iron Curtain
countries. He also competed in the shot put
, making 6 European records in the event.
near Kiviõli
, Estonia
was one of the great decathletes in history, but all his achievements have been obscured, a combination of being a victim of Cold War
politics and Stalinist tyranny. He was an Estonian, whose family were prominent advocates of Estonian sovereignty and brother was deemed a disloyal Estonian nationalist and was eventually murdered in a camp in Siberia
. Therefore, Lipp was kept as a political prisoner
and was periodically jailed by Soviet authorities. He was also
not allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union
.
In 1948 Track & Field News
ranked him No. 1 in the T&FN World Rankings in decathlon. Four days after Bob Mathias
won the 1948 Olympic decathlon
with a total 7,139 points, Lipp, produced a decathlon score considerably higher than that of Mathias, scored 7,584 at a meeting in Tartu
, Estonia and month after Olympics scored personal record 7,780 points in Kharkiv
.
Lipp’s achievement, however, was discounted or disbelieved in the West, because the Iron Curtain
policies of Stalin did not allow foreign observers, so there was no way to verify the results. The West never saw Lipp perform, and neither did Soviet bloc countries other than the USSR. Lipp, for example, was not allowed to travel to Budapest
for the World University Games in 1949. Photos of the physically imposing Lipp were done in the style of the superman image of the new Soviet man, a Stakhanovite, which undoubtedly did not inspire confidence in the credibility of his achievements from western followers of the sport.
In 1951 the Soviet Union joined the Olympic movement and participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics
. Lipp’s absence from the games was explained by the Soviet press as being due to “illness.” The real story is that the K.G.B. had vetoed Lipp’s participation in the Olympics even though it was short distance away in Helsinki
, Finland
. Competing in 1952, he probably would not have challenged eventual gold-medal winner Mathias, but a silver medal was well within the range of possibility. (Lipp’s training was hampered when his scholarship was revoked in another Estonian repression in 1950, and he had to stalk deer and track small game animals daily to sustain himself.)
Lipp was a Soviet champion 12 times and set 13 national records, and never gave the Soviet regime any cause of concern, yet his “suspect” family made him a “political unreliable” to the authorities.
After Estonia broke from the Soviets in early 1990s Lipp came to United States
for an Goodwill Games
in Seattle as a guest of the US Chamber of Commerce.
He was out of favour with the authorities and did not get his chance to appear on an international stage until Barcelona
when, at the age of 76, he proudly carried the Estonian flag at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics
.
records
Estonian decathlon
records (points table since 1936)
Estonian discus throw
records
Personal records
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n athlete, who was one of the greatest decathlete in the decade of the 1940s, but was never able to compete in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, because was never allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
dominated Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
countries. He also competed in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, making 6 European records in the event.
Career
Heino Lipp, born in Sonda ParishSonda Parish
Sonda Parish is an Estonian municipality located in Ida-Viru County. It has a population of 1,019 and an area of 161 km².-Settlements:Small boroughs:Erra - SondaVillages:...
near Kiviõli
Kiviõli
Kiviõli is an industrial town in Ida-Viru County, Estonia with a population of 7000 . The main industry is oil shale mining, which gives the town its name...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
was one of the great decathletes in history, but all his achievements have been obscured, a combination of being a victim of Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
politics and Stalinist tyranny. He was an Estonian, whose family were prominent advocates of Estonian sovereignty and brother was deemed a disloyal Estonian nationalist and was eventually murdered in a camp in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Therefore, Lipp was kept as a political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
and was periodically jailed by Soviet authorities. He was also
not allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
In 1948 Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
ranked him No. 1 in the T&FN World Rankings in decathlon. Four days after Bob Mathias
Bob Mathias
Robert Bruce "Bob" Mathias was an American decathlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist, actor and United States Congressman representing the state of California.-Early life and athletic career:...
won the 1948 Olympic decathlon
Athletics at the 1948 Summer Olympics
At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, 33 athletics events were contested, 24 for men and 9 for women. Three events made their Olympic debut at these Games: women's 200 metres, women's long jump and women's shot put...
with a total 7,139 points, Lipp, produced a decathlon score considerably higher than that of Mathias, scored 7,584 at a meeting in Tartu
Tartu
Tartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
, Estonia and month after Olympics scored personal record 7,780 points in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
.
Lipp’s achievement, however, was discounted or disbelieved in the West, because the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
policies of Stalin did not allow foreign observers, so there was no way to verify the results. The West never saw Lipp perform, and neither did Soviet bloc countries other than the USSR. Lipp, for example, was not allowed to travel to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
for the World University Games in 1949. Photos of the physically imposing Lipp were done in the style of the superman image of the new Soviet man, a Stakhanovite, which undoubtedly did not inspire confidence in the credibility of his achievements from western followers of the sport.
In 1951 the Soviet Union joined the Olympic movement and participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
. Lipp’s absence from the games was explained by the Soviet press as being due to “illness.” The real story is that the K.G.B. had vetoed Lipp’s participation in the Olympics even though it was short distance away in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Competing in 1952, he probably would not have challenged eventual gold-medal winner Mathias, but a silver medal was well within the range of possibility. (Lipp’s training was hampered when his scholarship was revoked in another Estonian repression in 1950, and he had to stalk deer and track small game animals daily to sustain himself.)
Lipp was a Soviet champion 12 times and set 13 national records, and never gave the Soviet regime any cause of concern, yet his “suspect” family made him a “political unreliable” to the authorities.
After Estonia broke from the Soviets in early 1990s Lipp came to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for an Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in Seattle as a guest of the US Chamber of Commerce.
He was out of favour with the authorities and did not get his chance to appear on an international stage until Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
when, at the age of 76, he proudly carried the Estonian flag at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
.
T&FN World Rankings
- DecathlonDecathlonThe decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
: 1947 - 2nd, 1948 - 1st, 1949 - 2nd, 1950 - 4th, 1953 - 4th - Shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
: 1947 - 1st, 1948 - 5th, 1949 - 7th, 1950 - 3 rd, 1951 - 3rd, 1952 - 9th, 1953 - 10th - Discus throwDiscus throwThe discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
: 1947 - 5th, 1948 - 5th,
Records
European shot putShot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
records
- 16.66 24 May 1947 TartuTartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
- 16.72 7 July 1947 Tartu
- 16.73 3 September 1947 KharkivKharkivKharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
- 16.93 6 August 1950 MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
- 16.95 17 June 1951 PõltsamaaPõltsamaa-External links:...
- 16.98 7 September 1951 MinskMinsk- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
Estonian decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
records (points table since 1936)
- 6631 1946 TartuTartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
(11,2 - 6.23 - 14.72 - 1.65 - 53,3 - 15,6 - 38.90 - 3.10 - 50.06 - 5.04,8 ) - 7097 1947 TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
(11,5 - 6.08 - 15.50 - 1.65 - 51,2 - 15,6 - 45.44 - 3.10 - 52.59 - 4.42,6) - 7584 1948 TartuTartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
(11,3 - 6.40 - 16.04 - 1.70 - 51,7 - 15,4 - 46.78 - 3.40 - 59.07 - 4.49,4) - 7780 (7072 points table since 1985) 11 September 1948 KharkivKharkivKharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
(11,4 - 6.13 - 16.18 - 1.70 - 50,2 - 15,4 - 47.55 - 3.40 - 61.96 - 4.35,0)
Estonian discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
records
- 49.41 5 September 1947 KharkivKharkivKharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
- 49.50 31 July 1947 TartuTartuTartu is the second largest city of Estonia. In contrast to Estonia's political and financial capital Tallinn, Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub, especially since it is home to Estonia's oldest and most renowned university. Situated 186 km southeast of Tallinn, the...
- 52.18 29 August 1948 MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Personal records
- 100 m - 11,0s; long jump - 6,53m; shot put - 16.98m; high jump - 1,72m; 400 m - 50,2s; 110 m hurdles - 15,0s; discus throw - 52.18m; pole vault - 3.40m; javelin throw - 61.96m; 1,500 m - 4.33,2; decathlon - 7780p
Awards
- 1954 USSR Master of SportsUnified Sports Classification System of the USSRUnified Sports Classification System of the USSR is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for athletes. The classification was established in 1935 and was based on separate classifications, which existed for several sports disciplines before...
- 1965 USSR Master of Sports of International ClassUnified Sports Classification System of the USSRUnified Sports Classification System of the USSR is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for athletes. The classification was established in 1935 and was based on separate classifications, which existed for several sports disciplines before...
- 1991 Honorary member of Estonian Olympic CommitteeEstonian Olympic CommitteeThe Estonian Olympic Committee is responsible for the Estonia's participation in the Olympic Games.-History:The Estonian Sports Federation decided to form Estonian Olympic Committee in the First Estonian Sport Congress on 30 November 1919, one and a half years after the proclamation of the...
- 1992 Estonian Olympic teamEstonia at the 1992 Summer OlympicsEstonia competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. It was the first Olympiad after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Estonia was one of three ex-Soviet republics to compete individually, with Latvia and Lithuania being the other two, instead of competing on the Unified...
flag bearer at the Opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics1992 Summer OlympicsThe 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... - 1998 Order of the White StarOrder of the White StarThe Order of the White Star was instituted on 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state.- Classes :The Order of the White Star comprises five classes:...
3 class - 1999 City of Tallinn Medal