{ "id": "epvxrgvp5z", "slug": "vaino-sipila", "title": "Vaino Sipila", "updated": "2026-10-21", "topic_path": [ { "id": "play", "label": "Sports, games, and recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play" }, { "id": "play.individual", "label": "Individual sports and outdoor recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual" }, { "id": "play.individual.athletics", "label": "Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.athletics" }, { "id": "play.individual.athletics.athletics_people", "label": "Athletes of track and field and road running", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.athletics.athletics_people" }, { "id": "play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners", "label": "Middle and long-distance track runners", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners" }, { "id": "play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners.finnish-long-distance-runners", "label": "Finnish long-distance runners", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners.finnish-long-distance-runners" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners", "label": "Western Europe · 1800 to 1945: Middle and long-distance track runners", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800", "label": "Western Europe · 1800 to 1945", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play", "label": "Sports, games, and recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play.individual", "label": "Individual sports and outdoor recreation", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play.individual" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics", "label": "Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics.athletics_people", "label": "Athletes of track and field and road running", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics.athletics_people" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners", "label": "Middle and long-distance track runners", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1800.play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Väinö Sipilä was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed at the 1924 Paris Olympics and set world records at 20,000 meters and 30,000 meters during the 1920s.", "snippet": "Väinö Sipilä was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed at the 1924 Paris Olympics and set world records at 20,000 meters and 30,000 meters during the 1920s.", "node": "play.individual.athletics.athletics_people.middle-and-long-distance-track-runners.finnish-long-distance-runners", "markdown": "# Vaino Sipila\n\n**Väinö Sipilä** (full name Väinö Jeremias Sipilä; 24 December 1897 – 12 September 1987) was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed in the cross-country race at the 1924 Paris Olympics, where he did not finish the individual race and was not among Finland's three scoring runners, and who set world records at 20,000 meters and 30,000 meters during the 1920s[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807) • [7](https://www.olympedia.org/results/57407). He competed for the clubs Tampereen Pyrintö and Pälkäneen Lukko[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born / died | 24 December 1897 in Pälkäne, Pirkanmaa; 12 September 1987 in Pälkäne, aged 89[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807) |\n| Olympic team | Member of Finland's six-man cross-country team at the 1924 Paris Olympics but did not finish or receive a medal; Finland's gold was credited to its three scoring runners, Paavo Nurmi, Ville Ritola, and Heikki Liimatainen[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807) • [7](https://www.olympedia.org/results/57407) |\n| 1924 10,000 m | Fourth in the final in 31:50.2, behind Edvin Wide and Eero Berg[2](https://athleticslab.io/paris-1924-olympic-games/) |\n| World records | 20,000 m, 1:06:29.0 (Stockholm, 19 June 1925); 30,000 m, 1:43:07.8 (Tampere, 16 September 1928)[3](https://iaaf-ebooks.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/Progression-of-IAAF-World-Records-2015/projet/IAAF-WRPB-2015.pdf) • [1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807) |\n| 1928 marathon | Fifteenth at the Amsterdam Olympics in 2:43:08 on 5 August 1928[4](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/finland/vaino-sipila-14562333) |\n| National titles | Four-time Finnish champion in cross country: 1923, 1924, 1925, and 1929[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807) |\n| Personal bests | 10,000 m 31:30.2 (1929); marathon 2:41:30 (1931)[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807) |\n\n## Paris 1924\n\nSipilä entered three events at the 1924 Summer Olympics. In the 10,000 meters final on 6 July he finished fourth in 31:50.2, in a race won by Ville Ritola in a world record of 30:23.2, with Edvin Wide of Sweden second and [Eero Berg](https://www.edgepedia.org/eero-berg) third[2](https://athleticslab.io/paris-1924-olympic-games/). Olympedia notes that he crossed the line just behind his compatriot Berg[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807).\n\nThe individual cross-country race ended differently: Sipilä did not finish, and neither did teammates [Eino Rastas](https://www.edgepedia.org/eino-rastas) and Eero Berg[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807). The race was run on one of the hottest days in the French capital, and only the performances of the finishing runners counted toward the team standings[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807). Finland still took the team title, with [Paavo Nurmi](https://www.edgepedia.org/paavo-nurmi) first and Ville Ritola second individually and Heikki Liimatainen also completing the scoring; the six-man Finnish team listed for the gold medal was Nurmi, Ritola, Liimatainen, Berg, Rastas, and Sipilä[5](https://www.olympedia.org/countries/FIN/editions/8).\n\n## World records\n\nSipilä set two world records in the rarely run long track events. In June 1925 he ran the 20,000 meters in 1:06:29.0 at a race in Stockholm[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807). The International Association of Athletics Federations progression of world records lists that mark as the standing record until Paavo Nurmi ran 1:04:38.4, also in Stockholm, on 3 September 1930[3](https://iaaf-ebooks.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/Progression-of-IAAF-World-Records-2015/projet/IAAF-WRPB-2015.pdf).\n\nHis second record came in September 1928, when he ran the 30,000 meters in 1:43:07.8 in Tampere[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807). That record stood until October 1931, when the Argentine runner [Juan Carlos Zabala](https://www.edgepedia.org/juan-carlos-zabala) bettered it[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807).\n\n## Later career and the 1928 marathon\n\nAlso in 1928, Sipilä ran the marathon at the Amsterdam Olympics and finished fifteenth; [World Athletics](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-athletics) records his time there as 2:43:08 on 5 August 1928[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807) • [4](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/finland/vaino-sipila-14562333). Domestically, he was a four-time Finnish champion in cross country, holding three consecutive titles from 1923 to 1925 and winning a fourth in 1929[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807).\n\nHis best marks came at the end of his career: 31:30.2 for 10,000 meters in 1929 and 2:41:30 for the marathon in 1931[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807). World Athletics' profile, which lists hand-timed performances with dates and venues, records a 10,000 meters best of 32:05.3h from 25 May 1924 in Helsinki, a 20,000 meters best of 1:06:29.0h, and a 30,000 meters best of 1:43:07.8h[4](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/finland/vaino-sipila-14562333).\n\n## Family and legacy\n\nSipilä's daughter Leena competed as a sprinter at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, making the family one of the Finnish Olympic pairs of parent and child[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807).\n\nIn his home municipality of Pälkäne, a path in his former jogging terrain is named Väinö Sipilän tie, and one of three miniature statues made by Anitta Toivio and placed beside the Kostia-areena depicts him[6](https://shl.fi/2023/08/25/vaino-sipila-oli-oman-aikakautensa-eliittia-pitkilla-matkoilla-maastojuoksuissa-viihtynyt-ja-maailmanennatyksia-rikkonut-palkanelainen-juoksi-10-000-metrilla-neljanneksi-pariisin-olympi/).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Väinö Sipilä, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67807)\n2. [Paris 1924 Olympic Games Results of all athletics events, Athleticslab](https://athleticslab.io/paris-1924-olympic-games/)\n3. [Progression of IAAF World Records 2015, World Athletics](https://iaaf-ebooks.s3.amazonaws.com/2015/Progression-of-IAAF-World-Records-2015/projet/IAAF-WRPB-2015.pdf)\n4. [Väinö SIPILÄ, Profile, World Athletics](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/finland/vaino-sipila-14562333)\n5. [Finland at the 1924 Summer Olympics, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/countries/FIN/editions/8)\n6. [Väinö Sipilä oli oman aikakautensa eliittiä pitkillä matkoilla, Sydän-Hämeen Lehti (2023)](https://shl.fi/2023/08/25/vaino-sipila-oli-oman-aikakautensa-eliittia-pitkilla-matkoilla-maastojuoksuissa-viihtynyt-ja-maailmanennatyksia-rikkonut-palkanelainen-juoksi-10-000-metrilla-neljanneksi-pariisin-olympi/)\n7. [Olympedia, Cross-Country, Team, Men](https://www.olympedia.org/results/57407)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Middle and long-distance track runners › Finnish long-distance runners*\n\n*Initially written Oct 21, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/vaino-sipila", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/vaino-sipila.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Vaino Sipila\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/vaino-sipila. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Vaino Sipila](https://www.edgepedia.org/vaino-sipila)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/vaino-sipila](https://www.edgepedia.org/vaino-sipila). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Vaino Sipila\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/vaino-sipila. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Väinö Sipilä was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed at the 1924 Paris Olympics and set world records at 20,000 meters and 30,000 meters during the 1920s." }