Tapani Niku

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
Tapani Niku in the 1920s
Personal information
Born(1894-01-04)January 4, 1894
Haapavesi, Finland
DiedApril 6, 1989(1989-04-06) (aged 94)
Lahti, Finland
Height171 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight65–67 kg (143–148 lb)
Sport
SportCross-country skiing
ClubHaapaveden Hiihtäjät
Medal record
Men's cross-country skiing
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
1924 Chamonix 18 km

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

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[4]

Olympic Games
  • 1 medal – (1 bronze)
 Year   Age   18 km   50 km 
192428BronzeDNF

World Championships
 Year   Age   30 km  50 km
192630136

References
  1. 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.
  2. "Flying Finn Nykänen may get state funeral, minister says". Yle. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. "Minister of Sport Suggests State Funeral For Former Ski Jumper Matti Nykänen". Finland Today. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  4. "NIKU Tapani". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.