Sylvi Saimo
Encyclopedia
Sylvi Saimo was a Finnish
sprint canoer
who competed in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the K-1 500 m event at Helsinki
in 1952
. That was first gold medal by Finnish woman in Summer Olympics, and only for 44 years, until Heli Rantanen
won gold in javelin throw at 1996
.
Saimo also won two gold medals at the 1950 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Copenhagen
, earning them in the K-1 500 m and K-2 500 m events.
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...
sprint canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
who competed in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal in the K-1 500 m event at 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...
in 1952
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...
. That was first gold medal by Finnish woman in Summer Olympics, and only for 44 years, until Heli Rantanen
Heli Rantanen
Heli Rantanen is a Finnish javelin thrower, who won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia...
won gold in javelin throw at 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
.
Saimo also won two gold medals at the 1950 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, earning them in the K-1 500 m and K-2 500 m events.