Åke Söderlund
Swedish racewalker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Åke Wilhelm Söderlund (11 April 1925 – 25 August 2002) was a Swedish racewalking athlete. He competed at the 1952, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics with the best result of 18th place in the 20 km event in 1964.[1]
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||
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| Born | 11 April 1925 Stockholm, Sweden | |||||||||||
| Died | 25 August 2002 (aged 77) Tyresö, Sweden | |||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||
Event | Race walking | |||||||||||
| Club | Stockholms GK | |||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||
| Personal bests | 20 kmW – 1:33:19 (1957) 50 kmW – 4:18:52 (1956)[1] | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Söderlund twice competed at the European Athletics Championships, but failed to finish the 50 kilometres race walk.[2] He also took part in the IAAF World Race Walking Cup twice, winning a bronze medal in the 50 km event in 1961 and placing 12th in the 20 km in 1967.[3][4] Söderlund won three Nordic Race Walking Championships, in the 20 km in 1957 and 1967 and in the 50 km in 1961.[5]
Söderlund later competed in the masters category and won the 25 km event at the 1975 World Association of Veteran Athletes Championships.[6] His twin brother Erik was also an elite racewalker.[1]
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Olympic Games | Helsinki, Finland | 28th | 50 km walk | 5:30:56.6 |
| 1954 | European Championships | Bern, Switzerland | — | 50 km walk | DNF |
| 1958 | European Championships | Stockholm, Sweden | — | 50 km walk | DNF |
| 1960 | Olympic Games | Helsinki, Finland | — | 50 km walk | DNF |
| 1961 | IAAF World Race Walking Cup | Lugano, Switzerland | 3rd | 50 km walk | 4:36:48 |
| 1964 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 18th | 20 km walk | 1:36:53 |
| 1967 | IAAF World Race Walking Cup | Bad Saarow, East Germany | 12th | 20 km walk | 1:36:02 |
National titles
- 50 km walk: 1961[7]