Väinö KOSKELA

Väinö Koskela was a Finnish distance runner who ran the 5,000 metres at the 1948 London Olympics, finishing seventh, and the 10,000 metres at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, placing 16th. At the 1950 European Championships Koskela won bronze in the 10K behind Emil Zátopek and Alain Mimoun. He competed in 16 internationals between 1947-52, and in 1949-51 ran 30 hard races at his favored distance, the 5K. Koskela was Finnish Champion in the 5K in 1948-49 and won the national cross-country title in 1948.

Personal Bests: 5000 – 14:13.2 (1949); 10000 – 30:10.0 (1951).