Sylvi Saimo

Sylvi Saimo
Saimo at the 1952 Olympics
Personal information
Born12 November 1914
Jaakkima, Finland
Died12 March 2004 (aged 89)
Laukaa, Finland
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight59–62 kg (130–137 lb)
Sport
SportCanoe sprint
Medal record
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki K-1 500 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1950 Copenhagen K-1 500 m
Gold medal – first place 1950 Copenhagen K-2 500 m

Sylvi Riitta Saimo (née Sikiö, 12 November 1914 – 12 March 2004) was a Finnish sprint canoeist and politician. She was the first female Finnish Olympic Champion at the Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in K-1 500 m at the 1952 Summer Olympics. She also competed in cross-country skiing, athletics and orienteering. She was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 1966 to 1978.

Personal life

Saimo was born in the former Finnish municipality of Jaakkima (currently Lakhdenpokhsky District, Russia) on 12 November 1914. She died in Laukaa in 2004.[1]

Sports career

Saimo competed in several sports, including skiing, athletics, orienteering and canoeing.[1] She won a gold medal in the K-1 500 m event at the 1952 Summer Olympics and finished sixth in 1948.[2] That was first and only gold medal by Finnish woman at Summer Olympics,[1] until Heli Rantanen won the javelin throw contest in 1996.

Saimo also won two gold medals at the 1950 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Copenhagen, earning them in the K-1 500 m and K-2 500 m events (in K-2, jointly with Greta Grönholm).[1]

Other sports achievements include winning a bronze medal at the Finnish championship in orienteering in 1939. In cross-country skiing, she won a bronze medal in the relay at the Finnish championships in 1947, while placing 5th individually in the 10 km distance.[1]

Political career

Saimo was elected representative to the Finnish Parliament for the Centre Party from 1966 to 1978.[1][3]

See also

  • List of Finnish Members of Parliament

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Björkman, Ingmar. "Saimo Sylvi". In Ekberg, Henrik (ed.). Uppslagsverket Finland (in Swedish). Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Sylvi Saimo". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Sylvi Saimo". eduskunta.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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