Tapani Niku (born Karsikas, 1 April 1895 – 6 April 1989) was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed at the 1924 Winter Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the 18 km event and failed to finish his 50 km event. At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1926 he placed sixth over 50 km and 13th over 18 km.[1]
 Tapani Niku in the 1920s | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | January 4, 1894 Haapavesi, Grand Duchy of Finland | ||||||||||||||
| Died | April 6, 1989 (aged 94) Lahti, Finland | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 171 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 65–67 kg (143–148 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Cross-country skiing | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Haapaveden Hiihtäjät | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Niku won nine national titles, in the 10 km (1923–26), 30 km (1921, 1923 and 1925–26) and 60 km events (1925). He also won the 50 km race at the Lahti Ski Games in 1923–25. He retired in 1926 and later worked as a forester and a ski manufacturer.[1]
After he had died, he was honoured with a state funeral.[2][3]
Cross-country skiing results
editAll results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[4]
Olympic Games
edit- 1 medal – (1 bronze)
| Year | Age | 18 km | 50 km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 28 | Bronze | DNF |
World Championships
edit| Year | Age | 30 km | 50 km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 30 | 13 | 6 |
References
edit- ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Tapani Niku". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
- ^ "Flying Finn Nykänen may get state funeral, minister says". Yle. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "Minister of Sport Suggests State Funeral For Former Ski Jumper Matti Nykänen". Finland Today. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ "NIKU Tapani". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 29 January 2020.