SAPPORO 1972
- 3–13 February 1972
- 35 official medal events.
- 1,008 competitors from 35 countries.
- Finnish team: 53 athletes (51 participated in official events).
The Sapporo Games are not fondly remembered in Finland. For the first time in Olympic history Finnish athletes failed to win any gold medals at summer or winter Games. Closest to victory came the ski jumper Tauno Käyhkö, who lost the gold in the large hill competition by only 0.7 points – and by the same token the bronze by 0.1 points. The most successful Finnish athlete of the Sapporo Games was the 34-year-old Marjatta Kajosmaa, winner of three medals in women’s cross-country skiing. The Finnish male skiers were left without a medal for the first time since 1928. The best and unluckiest among them was Juha Mieto, who lost the bronze in the 15-kilometre race by 0.06 seconds. Finnish biathlonists won silver in the relay, but in 500-metre speed skating the world record holder Leo Linkovesi finished only sixth. In ice hockey the Finnish Lions ended in a familiar fifth place.
