Siiri Rantanen

Siiri Rantanen
Full name	Siiri Johanna Rantanen
nation	Finland
birthday	14th December 1924 (age 95)
place of birth	Tohmajärvi , Finland
size	165 cm
Weight	57 kg
Career
discipline	Cross-country skiing, athletics, road cycling
society	Joensuun Kataja Lahden Hiihtoseura
status	resigned
Medal table
Olympic medals 1 × 0 × 2 × World Cup medals 1 × 3 × 4 × National medals 15 × ? × ? ×
winter Olympics bronze 1952 Oslo 10 km gold 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 3 × 5 km bronze 1960 Squaw Valley 3 × 5 km  Nordic World Ski Championships bronze 1952 Oslo 10 km silver 1954 Falun 10 km silver 1954 Falun 3 × 5 km gold 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 3 × 5 km silver 1958 Lahti 3 × 5 km bronze 1958 Lahti 10 km bronze 1960 Squaw Valley 3 × 5 km bronze 1962 Zakopane 3 × 5 km

Siiri Johanna Rantanen (born December 14, 1924 in Tohmajärvi as Siiri Lintunen ) is a former Finnish athlete who was active in cross-country skiing , cycling and athletics . She was one of the most successful Finnish athletes of the 1950s and one of the most successful Finnish cross-country skiers ever.

Career

Cross-country skiing

Rantanen made her international debut at the Olympic Winter Games in Oslo in 1952 , which were also classified as the Nordic World Ski Championships. In Oslo she won bronze over 10 km. At the Finnish Championships in 1954, she won her first national individual title over 10 km. Two years earlier she had already secured the team championship title.

At the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1954 in Falun , she won silver over 10 km behind Lyubov Kosyrewa . She also crossed the finish line in second place in the relay race together with Mirja Hietamies and Sirkka Polkunen .

In Cortina d'Ampezzo , two years later, she won the relay gold medal with the team at the 1956 Winter Olympics . In the individual over 10 km, Rantanen came in fifth. After she again won the title over 10 km at the Finnish Championships in the following year, she was able to secure the title with the relay at the national competitions in 1958 in addition to another victory over 10 km.

At the following Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti in 1958 , she again won silver with the relay and also secured bronze over 10 km. At the Finnish Championships in 1959, Rantanen remained for the first time without a national individual title and only won gold with the relay.

With her third participation in the Olympic Winter Games in 1960 in Squaw Valley , she did not get beyond 15th place in the 15 km individual race. With the Finnish women's relay, Rantanen won her third Olympic medal and secured bronze.

After she was able to win the title over 5 km at the Finnish Championships in 1960, she defended this title until 1962. In addition, Rantanen won the relay title again in 1960 and 1961.

With the Nordic World Ski Championships in Zakopane in 1962 , Rantanen played her last major international tournament. She won the bronze medal again and was fourth over 5 km and seventh over 10 km.

Rantanen dominated the international A races in Finland during her playing days. She won the 10 km races at the Lahti Ski Games in 1953, 1959 and 1961. She also won the races in Ounasvaara in 1953, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1961 and in 1950, 1954 and 1961 at Puijo .

In 1954, 1956, 1958 and 1959 she was voted Finnish Sportswoman of the Year. She was also inducted into the Suomen Hall of Fame . After the end of her cross-country skiing career, she competed in cross-country runs and bike races .

In addition to her work as an upholsterer, Rantanen also competed in ski races into old age. At the age of 71 she was one of the oldest participants in Finlandiahiihto 1996. Before that, she was the best female participant in this race in 1976 and 1977. She made her last start at Finlandiahiihto in 2005.

At the Nordic World Ski Championships 2017 in Lahti , she ran a lap of honor on skis in the stadium at the age of 92.

athletics

As a track and field athlete, she won the Finnish cross-country championship in 1960 and the 3 × 800 m relay and the cross-country team race in 1961.

Cycling

During and after her active cross-country skiing career, Rantanen competed in summer cycling races. In 1961, she secured the Finnish championship title in the 50 km road bike race.

successes

winter Olympics

• 1952 in Oslo : Bronze over 10 km
• 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo : Gold with the relay
• 1960 in Squaw Valley : bronze with the relay

World championships

• 1954 in Falun : Silver over 10 km, silver with the relay
• 1958 in Lahti : silver with the relay, bronze over 10 km
• 1962 in Zakopane : bronze with the relay

Web links

• Siiri Rantanen in the database of the International Ski Federation (English)
• Siiri Rantanen in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ World Ski Championships 1954 - Ladies' 10 km in the database of the International Ski Federation (English), accessed on May 24, 2014
2. ↑ World Ski Championships 1958 - Ladies' 10 km in the database of the International Ski Federation (English), accessed on May 24, 2014
3. ↑ World Ski Championships 1962 - Ladies' 5 km in the database of the International Ski Federation (English), accessed on May 24, 2014
4. ↑ Siiri Rantanen ( Finnish ) Suomen Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 24, 2014. 
5. ↑ Results Finlandiahiihto , accessed May 24, 2014
6. ↑ Facebook. Retrieved March 3, 2017 .