Veli Saarinen
Saarinen in the 1930s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 16 September 1902 Martinsaari, Virolahti, Finland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 12 October 1969 (aged 67) Helsinki, Finland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Cross-country skiing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Kouvolan Hiihtoseura Lahden Hiihtoseura | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Veli Selim Saarinen (16 September 1902 – 12 October 1969) was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.
In 1928, he finished fourth in the 18 km event. In 1932, he won a gold in the 50 km and a bronze in the 18 km event, becoming the first Finnish cross-country skier to win an Olympic gold medal. Yet his biggest success came at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, where he won six medals between 1926 and 1934, including three gold medals.
Domestically Saarinen won only two titles, over 50 km in 1930–31. In 1934, he retired from competitions and later coached the German (1934–1937) and Finnish (1937–1968) national cross-country skiing teams. From 1947 to 1968, he also served as a chief executive of the Finnish Skiing Federation.