Eino Rastas (17 July 1894 – 7 January 1965) was a Finnish long-distance runner.[3] Rastas was a three-time Finnish champion and competed in the Summer Olympics in 1920, 1924 and 1928; in 1920 and 1924 he was part of Finland's gold medal winning cross-country teams, though his results did not count for the team total in either case.
 Rastas at the 1928 Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 July 1894 Valkeala, Finland |
| Died | 7 January 1965 (aged 69) Kuusankoski, Finland |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 5000 m, 10,000 m, marathon |
| Club | Valkealan Roima Selänpään Jäykät |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 5000 m – 15:00.6 (1926) 10,000 m – 31:42.7 (1923) Marathon – 2:40:40 (1928)[1][2] |
Career
editRastas won his first medals at the Finnish national championships in 1917, winning gold in the 10,000 metres and silver at 5000 metres.[4] At the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp he represented Finland in the cross-country race, placing 18th; the race doubled as a team event, which Finland won, but only the results of the best three finishers (Paavo Nurmi, Heikki Liimatainen and Teodor Koskenniemi) counted for the team result.[1]
At the 1924 Olympics in Paris Rastas represented Finland in both the 5000 m and the cross-country race, the latter again doubling as a team competition. The 5000 m was held first; Rastas won his heat and placed 11th in the final.[1] The conditions for the cross-country race were extremely hot and demanding, and the majority of runners failed to finish; this included Rastas, who dropped out shortly after the halfway point. Two other Finns (Väinö Sipilä and Eero Berg) also dropped out, but Finland still won the team race again.[5][6]
Rastas made a third and final Olympic appearance in 1928, this time in the marathon; he placed fourteenth.[1] In total, Rastas won 10 medals at the Finnish championships, including three gold medals; in addition to his 10,000 m gold from 1917, he won both the 5000 m and 10,000 m in 1922.[4]
Rastas worked as a senior conductor at the Finnish railways.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Eino Rastas Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ Eino Rastas. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ^ "Eino Rastas". Olympedia. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ a b Eino Rastas at Tilastopaja (in Finnish) (registration required)
- ^ Jukola, Martti (1935). Huippu-urheilun historia (in Finnish). Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö.
- ^ Les Jeux de la VIIIE Olympiade Paris 1924: Rapport Officiel (PDF) (in French). French Olympic Committee. p. 154. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2015.