Finnish competition shooter and Olympic champion Väinö Markkanen has died at the age of 93.
Markkanen’s daughter Merja Markkanen confirmed the matter to Urheilu. He said that his father Väinö Markkanen passed away on June 10 in a nursing home in Lohja.
In his career, Markkanen won the Olympic gold in the freestyle pistol in Tokyo in 1964. In addition, Markkanen won, among other things, three individual Nordic championships with the large pistol in 1965 and 1973 and with the standard pistol in 1971.
Markkanen was known for his extremely slow and calm shooting style in competitive situations. He spent his working career in the service of the Defense Forces and the Border Guard.