SQUAW VALLEY 1960
- 18–28 February 1960
- 27 official medal events.
- 664 competitors from 30 countries.
- Finnish team: 53 athletes (48 participated in official events).
The host of the Olympic Winter Games of 1960 was not a town but a purpose-built winter sports resort in the Californian Rocky Mountains. Finnish success in cross-country skiing was still excellent, even if effects of high altitude were feared in advance. Skiing with start number 1, Kalevi Hämäläinen won gold in the 50-kilometre race, with Veikko Hakulinen finishing second. In the men’s relay race Hakulinen clinched gold for Finland by beating the Norwegian skier in a fierce duel on the final metres. Biathlon and women’s speed skating made their debut in the Olympic program in Squaw Valley, with Finland winning a medal in both thanks to Antti Tyrväinen and Eevi Huttunen, respectively. More had been expected from Finnish male speed skaters and the performance of the ice hockey team was also a disappointment. The Finnish Lions finished seventh in the Olympic tournament after defeating Japan and Australia in the consolation round dubbed as the “Pacific Series” by unimpressed Finnish journalists.
