Heikki Savolainen (athlete)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Men's Artistic Gymnastics
Olympic medal record
Bronze	1928 Amsterdam	Pommel horse
Silver	1932 Los Angeles	Horizontal bar
Bronze	1932 Los Angeles	All-Around
Bronze	1932 Los Angeles	Parallel bars
Bronze	1932 Los Angeles	Team competition
Bronze	1936 Berlin	Team competition
Gold	1948 London	Pommel horse
Gold	1948 London	Team competition
Bronze	1952 Helsinki	Team competition

Heikki Ilmari Savolainen (September 28, 1907 — November 29, 1997) was one of the most successful Finnish gymnasts and a two-time olympic winner.

Savolainen's career as a top gymnast lasted for six olympiads, ie. 24 years, from 1928 to 1952. In 1928 in Amsterdam he won bronze on pommel horse, which was the first ever medal in gymnastics for Finland. Winning his last medal in the home olympics of 1952 in Helsinki, he was the all time oldest medalist in gymnastics, 44 years old. In the opening ceremony of the same olympics, he was the one to deliver the Olympic Oath. Together with Harri Kirvesniemi, Alexei Nemov, and Franziska van Almsick, Savolainen has a record breaking six bronze medals.

In the 1932 horizontal bar event Savolainen and his team mate Einari Teräsvirta had the same score, but the Finnish team decided to give the silver medal to Savolainen. In the 1948 pommel horse event Savolainen again had the same score with team mates Veikko Huhtanen and Paavo Aaltonen, and the gold medal was shared between the three.

Heikki Savolainen graduated as a physical education teacher in 1931, and a Doctor of Medicine in 1939, after which he started working as a doctor in his home town Kajaani, Finland. During the Winter War he served with the rank Lieutenant Colonel as the head doctor in a military hospital.