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Martti Vainio

Martti Vainio
Personal information
Birth name Martti Vainio
Full name Martti Sakari Vainio
Nationality Finnish
Born (1950-12-30) 30 December 1950 (age 66)
Vehkalahti, Finland
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Weight 72 kg (159 lb; 11.3 st)
Sport
Country  Finland
Sport Running
Event(s) Long-distance
Club Turun Urheiluliitto 1972–82
Lapuan Virkiä 1983–84
Saarijärven Pullistus 1986–88
Coached by Aulis Potinkara 1971–82
Retired 1988
Achievements and titles
World finals 1983: 5000 m 3rd
1983: 10,000 m 4th
1987: 10,000 m DNF
1987: Marathon DNF
Regional finals 1978: 5000 m 6th
1978: 10,000 m 1st
1982: 5000 m 8th
1982: 10,000 m 3rd
1986: 5000 m 6th
1986: 10,000 m 7th
Olympic finals 1976: 10,000m 8h1
1980: 5000 m 11th
1980: 10,000 m 13th
1984: 5000 m DSQ
1984: 10,000 m DSQ
Highest world ranking 5000 m: 4th (1983)
10,000 m: 2nd (1978)
Personal best(s) 1500 m: 3:41.09 (1983)
3000 m: 7:46.24 (1982)
5000 m: 13:20.07 (1983)
10,000 m: 27:30.99 (1978, NR)
Marathon: 2:16:41 (1986)

Martti Sakari Vainio (born 30 December 1950) is a Finnish former long-distance runner. In Finland he is recognized as the last of the great runners of the famous "V-line", the previous ones being Juha Väätäinen, Lasse Virén, and Pekka Vasala. Each of them won at least one gold medal either at the Summer Olympics or the European Athletics Championships in the 1970s.

His achievements in major athletic championships include gold in the 10,000 metres race 1978 European Championships in Athletics in Prague and bronze in the same distance at the 1982 European Championships in Athletics in Athens. At the 1983 World Championships in Athletics he dropped to fourth place by a very short margin in the 10,000 metres race, and incensed by that caught the bronze in the 5000 metres, which was also a closely contested fixture, Vainio only assuring his medal by a palpable lunge over the finish line.

Martti Vainio started systematic training at the age of 20 in the autumn of 1971 with his coach Aulis Potinkara. He received his first national championships medal in 1974 when he finished third in 5000 metres after Seppo Tuominen and Rune Holmén. In the same year he ran his first 10,000 m race with the result 29:09.6. He broke the 29-minutes barrier for the first time in 1976. The same year he was second at the Finnish Championships in Athletics in 10,000 metres after Pekka Päivärinta and was selected to his first Olympics in Montreal. However, he did not qualify for the 10,000 metres final, finishing as the second fastest runner to be eliminated from the final. He won his first Finnish Championship in 1977 when he beat Kaarlo Maaninka by 0.9 seconds in 10,000 metres.


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