Martti Vainio
Vainio in 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Martti Vainio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Martti Olavi Vainio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Finnish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 December 1950 Vehkalahti, Finland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 72 kg (159 lb; 11.3 st) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Finland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Running | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 1976: 10,000m 8h1 1980: 5000 m 11th 1980: 10,000 m 13th 1984: 5000 m DNS 1984: 10,000 m DSQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Martti Olavi 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. Vainio's accomplishments are tarnished though, for testing positive for PEDs on at least two occasions. One of those events was the 1984 Olympic Games where he was disqualified and stripped of his medal and later suspended from sport.
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 in the 10,000 metres race, but claimed the bronze in the 5000 metres in a close finish decided by a lunge over the finish line.