Kaarlo Kangasniemi (Leningrad, 1968)
June 24, 1968, Leningrad, USSR – Kaarlo Kangasniemi, 27-year old middle heavyweight of Pori, Finland, wins a bronze medal in the 90kg weight ciass at the 1968 European Championships in Leningrad.
Kaarlo Kamgasniemi won his first ever set of medals at the Europeans in 1968. His winning total in Leningrad was 490kg (160+145+185). However, it’s not the final destination of his journey. He is on his way to eternity in the sport of Olympic weightliftng. In four months, Kangasniemi won the middle heavyweight class in Mexico City and became the first Finnish weightlifter to win the Summer Olympics.
Kaarlo Kangasniemi was 25 at the time of the tournament in Berlin. He finished on the 6th place in the 82.5 class with 440kg (147.5+132.5+160) in total.
History in its making here.