Erkka Wilén

Finnish track and field athlete Erkka Wilén represented HIFK in Helsinki where he competed as a sprinter and hurdler. Wilén ran in the 400 metres and the 400 metres hurdles at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively. Four years later at the Paris Olympics he achieved his best result when he won the silver medal in the 400 metres hurdles. The final was a messy affair with the American Charley Brookins initially finishing second before being disqualified for running out of his lane. Despite Wilén finishing behind the gold medallist Morgan Taylor, who ran 52.6 seconds, Wilén’s time of 53.8 seconds became the Olympic record as Taylor had knocked down the final hurdle, meaning his time could not be ratified. Wilén competed at his third and final Olympics at the 1928 Amsterdam Games before becoming the coach of the Finnish sprint team ahead of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Personal Bests: 400 – 49.0 (1923); 400H – 53.6e (1924).