Ilmari Salminen
Encyclopedia
Ilmari R. Salminen (September 21, 1902 – January 5, 1986) was a Finnish
athlete, winner of the 10,000 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics
.
He was born in Elimäki
and died in Kouvola
.
Salminen became one of the best long distance runners in the 1930s when he began his international athletics career in 1934 by winning the 10,000 m and taking bronze in 5000 m
at the first European Championships in Turin
, thus becoming a main favorite at the Olympic 10,000 m run.
At the Berlin
Olympics, Salminen, at first took the sixth place at the 5000 m final. On the next day, Salminen won against Arvo Askola
and Volmari Iso-Hollo
, two other Finns, in the 10,000 m final, winning only by 0.2 second
s.
In the next season, Salminen ran a new 10,000 m world record of 30:05.6. He also ran a new world record in 6 miles. Salminen finished his international career by winning the gold medal in 10,000 m at the 1938 European Championships and retired from athletics after the next season.
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...
athlete, winner of the 10,000 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
.
He was born in Elimäki
Elimäki
Elimäki is a former municipality of Finland.It was located in the province of Southern Finland and was part of the Kymenlaakso region. The municipality had a population of 8,199 and covered an area of 391.74 km² of which 4.27 km² was water...
and died in Kouvola
Kouvola
Kouvola is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located northeast of the capital, Helsinki.The city has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
.
Salminen became one of the best long distance runners in the 1930s when he began his international athletics career in 1934 by winning the 10,000 m and taking bronze in 5000 m
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
at the first European Championships in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, thus becoming a main favorite at the Olympic 10,000 m run.
At the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
Olympics, Salminen, at first took the sixth place at the 5000 m final. On the next day, Salminen won against Arvo Askola
Arvo Askola
Arvo Askola was a Finnish track and field athlete who mainly competed in the 10,000 metres event. He competed for Finland in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, where he won the silver medal in the men's 10,000 metres competition.-References:*...
and Volmari Iso-Hollo
Volmari Iso-Hollo
Volmari Fritijof Iso-Hollo was a Finnish athlete, winner of two gold medals in 3000 m steeplechase at the Olympic Games....
, two other Finns, in the 10,000 m final, winning only by 0.2 second
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
s.
In the next season, Salminen ran a new 10,000 m world record of 30:05.6. He also ran a new world record in 6 miles. Salminen finished his international career by winning the gold medal in 10,000 m at the 1938 European Championships and retired from athletics after the next season.