Pekka Vasala
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | 17 April 1948 Riihimäki, Finland | (age 73)
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) |
Weight | 63–65 kg (139–143 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | 1500 m, 800 m |
Club | Riihimäen Kisko Mäntsälän Urheilijat |
Achievements and titles | |
Personal best(s) | 1500 – 3:36.33 (1972) 800 – 1:44,5 (1972) |
Pekka Antero Vasala (born 17 April 1948) is a retired Finnish middle-distance athlete who won an Olympic gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.[1]
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City he failed to advance from the first round of heats in the 1500 m.[1] His later success is partly attributed to his legendary hill training of which he said "[it] is suicidal for other runners to copy my hill sessions without adequate background".
In Munich he won the 1500 m race in a time of 3 minutes 36.3 seconds, ahead of the legendary Kip Keino and Rod Dixon. This marked a memorable day for Finnish athletics because his countryman Lasse Virén had won the 5,000 m earlier in the day, in addition to winning the 10,000 m in world record time earlier in the games. With a medal in every track event from 1500 to 10,000 meters, three gold and one bronze (Tapio Kantanen in the 3000 meter steeplechase) Finnish athletes achieved a level of success not seen since the era of the "Flying Finns" (1912–1936).
His nephew, , also an athlete, won the 2003 Nordic Cross Country Championships. Vasala is the son-in-law of Martti Matilainen.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Pekka Vasala. sports-reference.com
External links[]
- 1948 births
- Living people
- People from Riihimäki
- Finnish male middle-distance runners
- Finnish male steeplechase runners
- Olympic athletes of Finland
- Olympic gold medalists for Finland
- Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field)