1956 Summer Olympics / Participant (Finland)

FIN

3	1	11

Finland took part in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne with a delegation of 64 athletes (63 men and one woman) in 62 competitions in 14 sports.

The Finnish athletes won three gold, one silver and eleven bronze medals. In the medal table, Finland took 13th place. Olympic champions were the marksman Pentti Linnosvuo with the free pistol and the Greco-Roman wrestler Rauno Mäkinen in the featherweight and Kyösti Lehtonen in the lightweight. The flag bearer at the opening ceremony was the pole vaulter Eeles Landström .

Finland also took part in the Olympic Equestrian Games in Stockholm. Seven (male) riders entered the race for Finland, but they could not win a medal.

Participants by sport

Boxing

• Pentti Hämäläinen

  Featherweight: bronze

• Pentti Niinivuori

  Lightweight: eliminated in the last sixteen

• Ilkka Koski

  Heavyweight: eliminated in the last sixteen

fencing

Men

• Rolf Wilk

  Foil: 8th place

• Väinö Korhonen

  Foil: eliminated in the 1st round

Weightlifting

• Eino Mäkinen

  Heavyweight: 5th place

canoe

Men

• Thorvald Strömberg

  Single kayak 1000 m: eliminated in advance

  Single kayak 10,000 m: 4th place

• Pentti Raaskoski

  Two-person kayak 1000 m: eliminated in advance

• Juhani Helenius

  Two-person kayak 1000 m: eliminated in advance

• Yrjö Hietanen

  Two-person kayak 10,000 m: 7th place

• Simo Kuismanen

  Two-person kayak 10,000 m: 7th place

Women

• Eila Eskola-Kyröläinen

  Single kayak 500 m: eliminated in advance

athletics

Men

• Pentti Rekola

  200 m: eliminated in the preliminary run

  4 x 400 meter relay: eliminated in the run-up

• Eero Kivelä

  200 m: eliminated in the preliminary run

  4 x 400 meter relay: eliminated in the run-up

• Voitto Hellsten

  400 m: bronze

  4 x 400 meter relay: eliminated in the run-up

• Olavi Salsola

  1500 m: eliminated in the preliminary run

• Ilmari Taipale

  5000 m: eliminated in the preliminary run

  10,000 m: 22nd place

• Veikko Karvonen

  Marathon: bronze

• Eino Oksanen

  Marathon: 10th place

• Paavo Kotila

  Marathon: 13th place

• Sven-Oswald Mildh

  400 m hurdles: eliminated in the preliminary run

  4 x 400 meter relay: eliminated in the run-up

• Ilkka Auer

  3000 m obstacle: eliminated in the preliminary run

• Olavi Rinteenpää

  3000 m obstacle: eliminated in the preliminary run

• Eeles Landström

  Pole vault: 7th place

• Matti Sutinen

  Pole vault: in the final without a valid attempt

• Jorma Valkama

  Long jump: bronze

• Wilhelm Porrassalmi

  Long jump: 28th place

• Kari Rahkamo

  Triple jump: 14th place

• Tapio Lehto

  Triple jump: 18th place

• Hannu Rantala

  Triple jump: 19th place

• Torbjörn Lassenius

  Decathlon: 7th place

Modern pentathlon

• Olavi Mannonen

  Single: silver

  Team: bronze

• Väinö Korhonen

  Single: bronze

  Team: bronze

• Berndt Katter

  Individual: 16th place

  Team: bronze

Cycling

• Paul Nyman

  Road race: 11th place

  Track sprint: eliminated in the 1st round

  Track 1000 m time trial: 18th place

horse riding

• Kaarlo Anttinen

  Eventing, individual: DNF

  Eventing, team: DNF

• Reijo Kuistila

  Eventing, individual: 36th place

  Eventing, team: DNF

• Kauko paanans

  Jumping, singles: DNF

  Jumping, team: DNF

• Mauno Roiha

  Dressage, individual: 31st place

• Wilhelm Stewen

  Jumping, singles: 40th place

  Jumping, team: DNF

• Arvi Tervalampi

  Jumping, singles: DNF

  Jumping, team: DNF

• Kari Tolvanen

  Eventing, individual: DNF

  Eventing, team: DNF

Wrestling

• Reijo Nykänen

  Bantamweight, Greco-Roman: eliminated in the 3rd round

• Rauno Mäkinen

  Featherweight, Greco-Roman: gold

• Kyösti Lehtonen

  Lightweight, Greco-Roman: gold

• Veikko Rantanen

  Greterweight, Greco-Roman: 4th place

  Welterweight, freestyle: eliminated in the 1st round

• Viljo Punkrai

  Middleweight, Greco-Roman: 6th place

  Middleweight, freestyle: eliminated in the 2nd round

• Veikko Lahti

  Light heavyweight, Greco-Roman: eliminated in the 3rd round

  Light heavyweight, freestyle: eliminated in the 2nd round

• Taisto Kangasniemi

  Heavyweight, Greco-Roman: 6th place

  Heavyweight, freestyle: bronze

• Tauno Jaskari

  Bantamweight, freestyle: eliminated in the 2nd round

• Erkki Penttila

  Featherweight, freestyle: bronze

• Väinö Hakkarainen

  Lightweight, freestyle: eliminated in the 2nd round

rowing

• Kauko Hänninen

  Four without a helmsman: eliminated in the quarter-finals

  Four with helmsman: bronze

• Reino Poutanen

  Four without a helmsman: eliminated in the quarter-finals

  Four with helmsman: bronze

• Veli Lehtelä

  Four without a helmsman: eliminated in the quarter-finals

  Four with helmsman: bronze

• Toimi Pitkänen

  Four without a helmsman: eliminated in the quarter-finals

  Four with helmsman: bronze

• Matti Niemi

  Four with helmsman: bronze

shoot

• Pentti Linnosvuo

  Rapid fire pistol 25 m: 4th place

  Free pistol 50 m: gold

• Kalle Sievänen

  Rapid fire pistol 25 m: 7th place

  Free pistol 50 m: 16th place

• Vilho Ylönen

  Free rifle three-position fight 300 m: bronze

  Small bore rifle, three-position fight, 50 m: 5th place

  Small bore rifle lying 50 m: 15th place

• Jorma Taitto

  Free rifle three-position fight 300 m: 4th place

  Small bore rifle, three-position fight 50 m: 17th place

  Small bore rifle lying 50 m: 32nd place

swim

Men

• Karri Käyhkö

  100 m freestyle: eliminated in the preliminary run

  400 m freestyle: eliminated in the preliminary run

sailing

• John Flinkenberg

  Dragons: 14th place

• Joel Jahn

  Dragons: 14th place

• Goal Kristian Lindh

  Dragons: 14th place

do gymnastics

Men

• Kalevi Suoniemi

  Individual all-around: 11th place

  Team all-around: bronze

  Floor: 10th place

  Horse jump: 11th place

  Bars: 13th place

  Horizontal bar: 18th place

  Rings: 12th place

  Pommel horse: 9th place

• Berndt Lindfors

  Individual all-around: 15th place

  Team all-around: bronze

  Floor: 16th place

  Horse jump: 50th place

  Bars: 6th place

  Horizontal bar: 22nd place

  Rings: 10th place

  Pommel horse: 9th place

• Martti Mansikka

  Individual all-around: 20th place

  Team all-around: bronze

  Floor: 10th place

  Horse jump: 11th place

  Bars: 24th place

  Horizontal bar: 42nd place

  Rings: 23rd place

  Pommel horse: 16th place

• Onni Lappalainen

  Individual all-around: 22nd place

  Team all-around: bronze

  Floor: 16th place

  Horse jump: 36th place

  Bars: 8th place

  Horizontal bar: 35th place

  Rings: 27th place

  Pommel horse: 22nd place

• Olavi Leimuvirta

  Individual all-around: 27th place

  Team all-around: bronze

  Floor: 33rd place

  Horse jump: 23rd place

  Bars: 8th place

  Horizontal bar: 37th place

  Rings: 40th place

  Pommel horse: 16th place

• Raimo Heinonen

  Individual all-around: 37th place

  Team all-around: bronze

  Floor: 46th place

  Horse jump: 41st place

  Bars: 21st place

  Horizontal bar: 18th place

  Rings: 45th place

  Pommel horse: 30th place

Diving

Men

• Helge Vasenius

  3 m jumping: 15th place

  10 m high diving: 16th place

Web links

• Finnish Olympic team from 1956 in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Finnish Olympic team at the equestrian games of 1956 in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )