Veikko Karvonen
Encyclopedia
Veikko Leo Karvonen was a Finnish
athlete who mainly competed in the marathon
. He won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics
. At the 1954 European Championships
he won the gold medal in the marathon and the following year won the Boston Marathon
.
Karvonen was born in Sakkola, a small Karelia
n town that then belonged to Finland but was invaded by the Soviet Union
during World War II
. Karvonen was evacuated to Saarijärvi
, where he started his running career training with Jussi Kurikkala
. He ran his first marathon in autumn 1949 in Turku
with the promising result of 2:45:07.
Karvonen participated in the 1950 European Championships
in Brussels
. He finished second in the marathon 32 seconds after the winner Jack Holden
. In the Track and Field News annual world ranking he was the second best marathon runner of 1950, after Holden.
In 1951 Karvonen ran three marathons and won each of them. In the Finnish Championship marathon in July his winning time was 2:28:46. In August in the Nordic Championship
marathon he ran 2:28:07. In September he won the Enschede Marathon
by over six minutes' margin before Tom Richards, Karvonen's winning time was 2:29:02. In 1951 Karvonen was ranked as the best marathon runner in the Track and Field News annual world ranking.
Karvonen trained hard for the 1952 Summer Olympics
, which were in Helsinki
, the capital of his home country, Finland. In spring 1952 he was at the training camp in Dinan
when he suddenly started to suffer from back pain
, which was diagnosed as a stress reaction of the intervertebral disc
. As a result, he was forced to quit running for six weeks. Consequently, Karvonen was only sixth in the Finnish Championship marathon on the Olympic course of Helsinki on June 22. However, he was nominated to the Finnish Olympic team. Karvonen rewarded his supporters at the Olympic marathon by finalizing fifth with the time 2:26:41, three and half minutes after the Olympic champion Emil Zátopek
. Karvonen was ranked fifth also at the Track and Field News annual ranking.
In 1953 Karvonen finished second in the Boston Marathon
. In this race he broke the 2:20 barrier for the first time; however the course was later found to be too short. In August Karvonen won silver medal at the Finnish Championship marathon and in September gold medal at the Nordic Championship marathon. In October he competed against Jim Peters in his home town of Turku. Peters improved his world record by six seconds to 2:18:35 and beat Karvonen by over seven minutes. In the 1953 Track and Field News world ranking Karvonen was third.
Karvonen did not gave up after his disappointment in Turku. In the following year's Boston Marathon he followed Peters until he took the lead before the 30 km mark. Peters dropped from his pace at the course's Heartbreak Hill and Karvonen took his most memorable victory in 2:20:39. Peters finished in 2:22:40. At the 1954 European Championships
in Brussels
Karvonen, Boris Grishayev
, and Ivan Filin
competed for the victory. Filin led by twenty meters when arriving first in the stadium. To his misfortune, he turned in the wrong direction on the track and missed victory. In the stadium Karvonen realized Filin's situation and ran for the gold medal before Grishayev and the disappointed Filin. Because of Filin's misfortune, Karvonen did not fully appreciate his championship. In 1954 Karvonen ran altogether five marathons within eight months and ranked first in the Track and Field News annual world ranking.
In August 1955 Karvonen was second in the Finnish Championship marathon, four minutes after Paavo Kotila
. For the rest of the year Karvonen did not lose any race; in September he won Nordic Championship marathon, in October he was first in the Athens Peace Marathon, and finally he won the Fukuoka Marathon
in December. For the second year in a row he was ranked as world best marathon runner in the Track and Field News ranking.
In August 1956 Finnish Championship marathon Karvonen was only third after Paavo Kotila and Eino Oksanen
. However, in that race he ran his personal best 2:18:56, which remained his record until the end of his career. However, in the Olympics marathon
Karvonen was the best Finn and overall third place finisher. 12 kilometers before the finish line Karvonen was still at the second position after Alain Mimoun
. The race was run in very hot conditions and later Karvonen admitted it as the most painful race of his career. Karvonen suffered in the last kilometers, but only Franjo Mihalić
was able to pass him. It took months until Karvonen fully recovered from the race. In 1956 Karvonen was ranked third at the Track and Field News annual world ranking.
At the 1957 Boston Marathon Karvonen was second after John J. Kelley
, a young American, who beat Karvonen by almost four minutes. The New York Times
reported that midway through the race, Karvonen was clutching his side and seemed to have a stitch. Karvonen was still sixth at the 1958 European Championships
with his all-time third best time, 2:22:45, second at the 1958 Fukuoka Marathon, and fourth at the 1959 Boston Marathon. During his career Karvonen ran a total of 35 marathons and won 15 of them.
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...
athlete who mainly competed in the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
. He won the bronze medal in the marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
These are the official results of the Men's Marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, held on Saturday December 1, 1956. There were a total number of 46 participants from 23 nations, with 13 runners not completing the race....
. At the 1954 European Championships
1954 European Championships in Athletics
The 5th European Athletics Championships were held from 25 August to 29 August 1954 in the Swiss capital Bern.-Men's results:-Women's results:-Medal table:- External links :* *...
he won the gold medal in the marathon and the following year won the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
.
Career
| Competition | Time |
|---|---|
| 1951 Enschede Enschede Marathon The Enschede Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the city of Enschede, Netherlands. The race is the distance of a typical marathon . It has been held annually since 1991, after being bi-annual for the previous 44 years. The race crosses the German border through the city of Gronau... |
2:29:02 |
| 1954 Boston Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest... |
2:20:39 |
| 1955 Athens Peace | 2:27:30 |
| 1955 Fukuoka Fukuoka Marathon The , held in Fukuoka, Japan, is an international men's marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on the first Sunday in December.The course record is held by Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, running 2:05:18 in 2009 to best his own record from the previous year.-Men's winners:Winners of the... |
2:23:16 |
Karvonen was born in Sakkola, a small Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
n town that then belonged to Finland but was invaded by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Karvonen was evacuated to Saarijärvi
Saarijärvi
Saarijärvi is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is....
, where he started his running career training with Jussi Kurikkala
Jussi Kurikkala
Juho 'Jussi' Kurikkala was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the 1930's. He won three medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with a silver in the 4 x 10 km in 1937, a gold in the same event in 1938, and a gold in the 18 km in 1939.-References:* *...
. He ran his first marathon in autumn 1949 in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
with the promising result of 2:45:07.
Karvonen participated in the 1950 European Championships
1950 European Championships in Athletics
The 4th European Athletics Championships were held from 23 August to 27 August 1950 in the Heysel Stadium of the Belgian capital Brussels.-Track:-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medals table:- External links :* *...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He finished second in the marathon 32 seconds after the winner Jack Holden
Jack Holden (athlete)
John Thomas Holden was a long-distance runner from England, who won four consecutive national titles in the men's marathon . He represented Great Britain at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, where he did not finish...
. In the Track and Field News annual world ranking he was the second best marathon runner of 1950, after Holden.
In 1951 Karvonen ran three marathons and won each of them. In the Finnish Championship marathon in July his winning time was 2:28:46. In August in the Nordic Championship
Nordic Championship
The Nordic Championships refers to a number of sporting competitions for Nordic countries. For some of the competitions, is the top achievement in a sport or contest for Nordic athletes...
marathon he ran 2:28:07. In September he won the Enschede Marathon
Enschede Marathon
The Enschede Marathon is an annual marathon race held in the city of Enschede, Netherlands. The race is the distance of a typical marathon . It has been held annually since 1991, after being bi-annual for the previous 44 years. The race crosses the German border through the city of Gronau...
by over six minutes' margin before Tom Richards, Karvonen's winning time was 2:29:02. In 1951 Karvonen was ranked as the best marathon runner in the Track and Field News annual world ranking.
Karvonen trained hard for the 1952 Summer Olympics
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
, which were in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, the capital of his home country, Finland. In spring 1952 he was at the training camp in Dinan
Dinan
Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance...
when he suddenly started to suffer from back pain
Back pain
Back pain is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.The pain can often be divided into neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain or tailbone pain...
, which was diagnosed as a stress reaction of the intervertebral disc
Intervertebral disc
Intervertebral discs lie between adjacent vertebrae in the spine. Each disc forms a cartilaginous joint to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, and acts as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together.-Structure:...
. As a result, he was forced to quit running for six weeks. Consequently, Karvonen was only sixth in the Finnish Championship marathon on the Olympic course of Helsinki on June 22. However, he was nominated to the Finnish Olympic team. Karvonen rewarded his supporters at the Olympic marathon by finalizing fifth with the time 2:26:41, three and half minutes after the Olympic champion Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life...
. Karvonen was ranked fifth also at the Track and Field News annual ranking.
In 1953 Karvonen finished second in the Boston Marathon
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
. In this race he broke the 2:20 barrier for the first time; however the course was later found to be too short. In August Karvonen won silver medal at the Finnish Championship marathon and in September gold medal at the Nordic Championship marathon. In October he competed against Jim Peters in his home town of Turku. Peters improved his world record by six seconds to 2:18:35 and beat Karvonen by over seven minutes. In the 1953 Track and Field News world ranking Karvonen was third.
Karvonen did not gave up after his disappointment in Turku. In the following year's Boston Marathon he followed Peters until he took the lead before the 30 km mark. Peters dropped from his pace at the course's Heartbreak Hill and Karvonen took his most memorable victory in 2:20:39. Peters finished in 2:22:40. At the 1954 European Championships
1954 European Championships in Athletics
The 5th European Athletics Championships were held from 25 August to 29 August 1954 in the Swiss capital Bern.-Men's results:-Women's results:-Medal table:- External links :* *...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
Karvonen, Boris Grishayev
Boris Grishayev
Boris Grishayev is a retired marathon runner from the Soviet Union, who won the silver medal at the European Championships in Bern, Switzerland, before compatriot Ivan Filin. He won the Soviet title in the men's marathon in 1954, clocking 2:27:05.6 on July 1 in Moscow.-References:* *...
, and Ivan Filin
Ivan Filin
Ivan Filin is a retired marathon runner from the Soviet Union, who won the silver medal at the European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, behind compatriot Sergei Popov. He is a two-time winner of the Soviet national marathon title , and won the 1957 edition of the Košice Peace...
competed for the victory. Filin led by twenty meters when arriving first in the stadium. To his misfortune, he turned in the wrong direction on the track and missed victory. In the stadium Karvonen realized Filin's situation and ran for the gold medal before Grishayev and the disappointed Filin. Because of Filin's misfortune, Karvonen did not fully appreciate his championship. In 1954 Karvonen ran altogether five marathons within eight months and ranked first in the Track and Field News annual world ranking.
In August 1955 Karvonen was second in the Finnish Championship marathon, four minutes after Paavo Kotila
Paavo Kotila
Paavo Edvard Kotila is a former Finnish long-distance runner, Olympian, and three-time national champion in the marathon .Kotila won his second consecutive national title in 1956 with a time of 2:18:04.8...
. For the rest of the year Karvonen did not lose any race; in September he won Nordic Championship marathon, in October he was first in the Athens Peace Marathon, and finally he won the Fukuoka Marathon
Fukuoka Marathon
The , held in Fukuoka, Japan, is an international men's marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on the first Sunday in December.The course record is held by Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, running 2:05:18 in 2009 to best his own record from the previous year.-Men's winners:Winners of the...
in December. For the second year in a row he was ranked as world best marathon runner in the Track and Field News ranking.
In August 1956 Finnish Championship marathon Karvonen was only third after Paavo Kotila and Eino Oksanen
Eino Oksanen
Eino Oksanen was a Finnish marathon runner who won the Boston Marathon three times . Oksanen also won the 1957 Turku Marathon in Finland and the 1959 Athens Peace Marathon.- References :...
. However, in that race he ran his personal best 2:18:56, which remained his record until the end of his career. However, in the Olympics marathon
Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
These are the official results of the Men's Marathon at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, held on Saturday December 1, 1956. There were a total number of 46 participants from 23 nations, with 13 runners not completing the race....
Karvonen was the best Finn and overall third place finisher. 12 kilometers before the finish line Karvonen was still at the second position after Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun
Alain Mimoun is a retired French runner and Olympic marathon champion.-Early life:Born in El Telagh, then in French Algeria, Mimoun lost several years of competition to World War II...
. The race was run in very hot conditions and later Karvonen admitted it as the most painful race of his career. Karvonen suffered in the last kilometers, but only Franjo Mihalić
Franjo Mihalic
Franjo Mihalić is a long-distance runner best known for his 1958 win at the Boston Marathon and his marathon silver medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics...
was able to pass him. It took months until Karvonen fully recovered from the race. In 1956 Karvonen was ranked third at the Track and Field News annual world ranking.
At the 1957 Boston Marathon Karvonen was second after John J. Kelley
John J. Kelley
John Joseph Kelley was the winner of the 1957 Boston Marathon and the marathon at the 1959 Pan American Games and a member of two United States Olympic Marathon teams. He was often dubbed John "The Younger" to avoid confusion with Johnny "The Elder" Kelley, the winner of the 1935 and 1945 Boston...
, a young American, who beat Karvonen by almost four minutes. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that midway through the race, Karvonen was clutching his side and seemed to have a stitch. Karvonen was still sixth at the 1958 European Championships
1958 European Championships in Athletics
The 6th European Athletics Championships were held from 19 August to 24 August 1958 in the Olympic Stadium of Stockholm, Sweden.-Men's results:-Women's results:-Medal table:-References:*...
with his all-time third best time, 2:22:45, second at the 1958 Fukuoka Marathon, and fourth at the 1959 Boston Marathon. During his career Karvonen ran a total of 35 marathons and won 15 of them.
Achievements
- All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise
Representing