Heikki Liimatainen
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Full name | Heikki•Liimatainen |
| Used name | Heikki•Liimatainen |
| Born | 14 March 1894 in Karstula, Keski-Suomi (FIN) |
| Died | 24 December 1980 in Porvoo, Uusimaa (FIN) |
| Measurements | 164 cm / 58-60 kg |
| Affiliations | Porvoon Akilles, Porvoo (FIN) |
| NOC |  Finland |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 2 |
| Silver | 0 |
| Bronze | 1 |
| Total | 3 |
Biography
Heikki Liimatainen competed at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics and in 1924 at Paris. Individually his greatest achievement was the bronze medal in the 1920 cross-country run, trailing only the legendary Paavo Nurmi, and Swedish runner Eric Backman. However, he won team cross-country gold medals at both Olympics. In Paris it took him two minutes to master the last 30 metres of the cross-country run, known as the “red-hot battle of Colombes,” because he was completely dehydrated due to ambient temperatures of about 45° C. Nevertheless, he finished 12th, to help Finland repeat as the gold medalists. Liimatainen was the Finnish 10 000 m champion from 1918-20.
Personal Best: 10000 – 32:08.2 (1920).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 Summer Olympics | Athletics | FIN |
Heikki Liimatainen | |||
| 5,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | ||||||
| 10,000 metres, Men (Olympic) | 7 | |||||
| Cross-Country, Individual, Men (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| Cross-Country, Team, Men (Olympic) | Finland | 1 | Gold | |||
| 1924 Summer Olympics | Athletics | FIN |
Heikki Liimatainen | |||
| Cross-Country, Individual, Men (Olympic) | 12 | |||||
| Cross-Country, Team, Men (Olympic) | Finland | 1 | Gold |