Heikki Hasu
Encyclopedia
Heikki Vihtori Hasu (born March 21, 1926 in Sippola
) is a Finnish
Nordic skier who competed in the late 1940s and early 1950s who was born in Sippola
.
Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won three medals with two medals in nordic combined
(gold: 1948
, silver: 1952
) and one in cross country skiing (4 x 10 km: 1952
).
Hasu also won two medals at the 1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
in Lake Placid, New York
with a gold in the Nordic combined and a silver in the 4 x 10 km.
He won the Nordic combined event at the Holmenkollen ski festival
in 1953. For his Nordic combined and cross country skiing successes, Hasu became the first Finn to be awarded the Holmenkollen medal
in 1952 (shared with Stein Eriksen
, Torbjørn Falkanger
, and Nils Karlsson
.). He is also the last Holmenkollen medalist to win in more than one nordic skiing
discipline.
A statue in Hasu's honor is located in Anjalankoski
.
Kouvola
Kouvola is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located northeast of the capital, Helsinki.The city has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
) is a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
Nordic skier who competed in the late 1940s and early 1950s who was born in Sippola
Kouvola
Kouvola is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located northeast of the capital, Helsinki.The city has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
.
Competing in two Winter Olympics, he won three medals with two medals in nordic combined
Nordic combined
The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in Nordic skiing since the 19th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...
(gold: 1948
Nordic combined at the 1948 Winter Olympics
At the 1948 Winter Olympics, the Individual Nordic combined event was contested.-Individual:February 1, 1948-References:*...
, silver: 1952
Nordic combined at the 1952 Winter Olympics
At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, one Nordic combined event was contested.This marked the first time in Olympic history that the ski jumping portion of the competition was held before the 18 km cross-country skiing segment.-Medalists:...
) and one in cross country skiing (4 x 10 km: 1952
1952 Winter Olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games, took place in Oslo, Norway, from 14 to 25 February 1952. Discussions about Oslo hosting the Winter Olympic Games began as early as 1935; the city wanted to host the 1948 Games, but World War II made that impossible...
).
Hasu also won two medals at the 1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1950 took place during February 1–6, 1950 in Lake Placid, New York, USA and Rumford, Maine, USA. This was Lake Placid's second time hosting the championships after having done so at the 1932 Winter Olympics. It also marked the first time after World War II the...
in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
with a gold in the Nordic combined and a silver in the 4 x 10 km.
He won the Nordic combined event at the Holmenkollen ski festival
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...
in 1953. For his Nordic combined and cross country skiing successes, Hasu became the first Finn to be awarded the Holmenkollen medal
Holmenkollen medal
The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events....
in 1952 (shared with Stein Eriksen
Stein Eriksen
Stein Eriksen is a former alpine ski racer and Olympic gold medalist.-Background:Stein Eriksen was born in Oslo, Norway. His parents were Marius Eriksen and Birgit Heien . Stein's father, Marius Eriksen competed in the 1912 Olympic Games as a gymnast...
, Torbjørn Falkanger
Torbjørn Falkanger
Torbjørn Falkanger is a retired Norwegian ski jumper who was active in the late 1940s and early 1950s.Falkanger earned a silver medal at the 1952 Winter Olympics in ski jumping and also won the Holmenkollen ski festival ski jumping competition twice...
, and Nils Karlsson
Nils Karlsson
Nils Emanuel Karlsson, known as Mora-Nisse is a Swedish cross-country skier. He was born in Mora, Dalarna.He won the Olympic gold medal in the 50 km at the 1948 Winter Olympics, a bronze medal in 50 km at the 1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and a total of 37 gold medals in Swedish...
.). He is also the last Holmenkollen medalist to win in more than one nordic skiing
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
discipline.
A statue in Hasu's honor is located in Anjalankoski
Anjalankoski
Anjalankoski is a former town and municipality of Finland. It had 17,301 inhabitants . About 4/5 of the people live in the vicinity of the Kymi River. The most densely populated communities are Myllykoski and Inkeroinen. In addition, there is plenty of countryside.The town's major industry is...
.