Pertti Karppinen

Finnish single sculler who won three consecutive Olympic gold medals and shared one of rowing's greatest rivalries with West Germany's Peter-Michael Kolbe across four Olympic Games.

Pertti Johannes Karppinen was born on 17 February 1953 in Vehmaa, Finland, and was introduced to rowing by his older brother Erkka, working as a firefighter throughout much of his competitive career. Standing an imposing 2.01 meters tall, he developed a distinctive racing style built around long, economical strokes and a devastating late sprint, often trailing rivals by open water before overwhelming them in the closing meters. Karppinen's first major triumph came at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where the relatively unheralded Finn came from behind to defeat reigning world champion Peter-Michael Kolbe of West Germany by more than two and a half seconds, winning Finland's first-ever Olympic rowing medal. He defended his title at the 1980 Moscow Games - where Kolbe was absent due to West Germany's boycott - before the pair's rivalry reached its peak at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when Karppinen again caught Kolbe in the final 250 meters to win a historic third consecutive gold, becoming just the second man, after the Soviet Union's Vyacheslav Ivanov, to achieve the feat. Beyond his Olympic titles, Karppinen won World Championship gold in 1979 and 1985, giving him and Kolbe the same number of world titles (two apiece) despite the German amassing five overall. He competed at two further Olympics in 1988 and 1992 without reaching the podium, retiring afterward having also rowed doubles with his younger brother Reima to a silver medal at the 1981 World Championships. Karppinen went on to work as a national rowing coach, mentoring his own children Juho and Eeva to international competition for Finland, and remains regarded as one of the sport's transcendent champions, his rivalry with Kolbe considered among the greatest in rowing history.

Tall, powerful sculler renowned for a patient, economical racing style and a devastating late sprint that repeatedly overturned seemingly hopeless deficits in the closing meters of a race

Regarded as one of the two greatest single scullers in Olympic history alongside Vyacheslav Ivanov, whose rivalry with Peter-Michael Kolbe - who never won Olympic gold despite dominating World Championships - remains one of the sport's most storied

• 3x Consecutive Olympic Gold Medalist, Single Sculls (1976, 1980, 1984)
• 2x World Champion (1979, 1985)
• One of only 2 men to win Olympic single sculls 3 times (with Vyacheslav Ivanov)
• Finland's first-ever Olympic rowing medalist