Heikki Mäkelä

Heikki Mäkelä was a Finnish sprint canoeist who won multiple national titles and represented his country at three Olympic Games. Mäkelä represented Vesisamoilijat in Lahti, which saw him win ten Finnish titles between 1965 and 1970. He made his Olympic début at the 1968 Mexico City Games where he finished fifth in the K-4 1,000 metres event. Four years later he was once again part of the Finnish team in the K4, this time finishing seventh in the 1,000 metres at the 1972 München Games. His third and final Olympic appearance came at the 1976 Montréal Games where he and his compatriots were eliminated in the repêchage round. A construction worker by trade, Mäkelä also played water polo, with him representing the Lahti Swimming Club for the 1963–64 season.