Martti Eemil Lappalainen (April 11, 1902 – October 6, 1941) was a Finnish

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...

 cross country skier and biathlete.

He was born in Liperi

Liperi

Liperi is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. Liperi is a picturesque community of with the growth rate of 83 newcomers in 11 months in 2007. The population density is...

 and was killed in action in Mäntysova, East Karelia

East Karelia

East Karelia , also rendered as Eastern Karelia or Russian Karelia, is a name for the part of Karelia that since the Treaty of Stolbova in 1617 has remained Christian Orthodox under Russian supremacy. It is separated from the western part of Karelia, called Finnish Karelia or historically Swedish...

.

Lappalainen was a part of the Military patrol

Military patrol at the 1924 Winter Olympics

At the 1924 Winter Olympics, in Chamonix, France, in 1924, a military patrol competition was held. The Olympic lists the official medal winners for the event, yet several sources have counted this competition as a demonstration event only. The event was also demonstrated in 1928, 1936, and 1948,...

 for Finland that took silver in the 1924 Winter Olympics

1924 Winter Olympics

The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France...

.

He won the 50 km cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 event at Holmenkollen ski festival

Holmenkollen ski festival

The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...

 in 1928. As a result of this victory, he became the second non-Norwegian winner of any event run up to that point, behind fellow Finn Anton Collin

Anton Collin

Anton Johannes Collin was a Finnish cross country skier.He was born in Pihlajavesi and died in Ähtäri....

, who won the 50 km event in 1922.

At the 1928 Winter Olympics

1928 Winter Olympics

The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 11–19, 1928 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The 1928 Games were the first true Winter Olympics held on its own as they were not in conjunction with a Summer Olympics...

 he finished seventh in the 18 km event

Cross-country skiing at the 1928 Winter Olympics - Men's 18 km

The 18 kilometre cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing at the 1928 Winter Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event. The competition was held on Friday, February 17, 1928....

 and ninth in the 50 km competition

Cross-country skiing at the 1928 Winter Olympics - Men's 50 km

The 50 kilometre cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing at the 1928 Winter Olympics programme. It was the second appearance of the event...

.

Four years later he finished fourth in the 18 km event

Cross-country skiing at the 1932 Winter Olympics - Men's 18 km

The shorter cross-country skiing event of the cross-country skiing at the 1932 Winter Olympics programme was contested of a distance of 19.7 kilometres. It was the third appearance of the event, but the only time this race was held over a distance of 19.7 kilometres...

 at the 1932 Winter Olympics

1932 Winter Olympics

The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...

 in Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....

. He also participated in the 50 km competition

Cross-country skiing at the 1932 Winter Olympics - Men's 50 km

The 50 kilometre cross-country skiing event was part of the cross-country skiing at the 1932 Winter Olympics programme. It was the third appearance of the event. The competition was held on Saturday, February 13, 1932....

 but did not finish.

At the 1934 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

1934 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1934 took place on February 20-25, 1934 in Sollefteå, Sweden.- 18 km :February 22, 1934- 50 km :February 24, 1934-4 × 10 km relay:February 25, 1934...

 in Sollefteå

Sollefteå

Sollefteå is a locality and the seat of Sollefteå Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 8,530 inhabitants in 2005.The earliest written account on Sollefteå is found in a script dating back to 1270. During this time the name of the village was given as De Solatum - a name that can be...

he won a gold in the 4 x 10 km and a bronze in the 18 km.