Pauli Ensio Siitonen (3 February 1938 – 20 April 2024) was a Finnish
cross-country skier. He was one of the most successful long-distance cross-country skiers of the 1970s, and in 1973 became the second Finnish skier to win
Vasaloppet
(Swedish language, Swedish for 'the Vasa race') is an annual long distance cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country ski race held on the first Sunday of March. The course starts in the village of :sv:Berga, Malung-Sälens kommun, Berga, jus ...
. Siitonen competed at the 1968 Olympics, and won the
Finlandia-hiihto in Finland and
König-Ludwig-Lauf in
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
.
Siitonen is credited with popularizing the so-called Siitonen-step (or "marathon skate"), the precursor to modern
skating technique in cross-country skiing.
Siitonen died on 20 April 2024, at the age of 86.
Hiihtolegenda Pauli Siitonen on kuollut
Cross-country skiing results
Olympic Games
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siitonen, Pauli
1938 births
2024 deaths
Finnish male cross-country skiers
Vasaloppet winners
Cross-country skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics
Olympic cross-country skiers for Finland
20th-century Finnish sportsmen
People from Rautjärvi