GRENOBLE 1968
- 6–18 February 1968
- 35 official medal events.
- 1,158 competitors from 37 countries.
- Finnish team: 57 athletes (53 participated in official events).
For the first time the best Finnish athlete at the Olympic Winter Games was a woman. Kaija Mustonen won Finland’s only gold medal of the Grenoble Games and added a silver. These have so far been the last Finnish Olympic medals in speed skating. Eero Mäntyranta did his best to defend Finland’s dwindling fortunes in cross-country skiing. He lost the gold medal in 15 kilometres by less than two seconds and raised the Finnish team to bronze in the relay race. By contrast, Finnish female cross-country skiers were left without a medal for the first time in their Olympic history. The best among them was Marjatta Kajosmaa with two fifth-place finishes. Finland’s ski jumping and Nordic combined were likewise at a low ebb. The Finnish ice hockey team showed signs of improvement by finishing fifth after surprisingly beating Canada 5–2.
