Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nationality | Finnish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Tervo, Finland | 1 August 1947|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 25 July 2016 Heinola, Finland | (aged 68)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Sinikka Kukkonen (1 August 1947 – 25 July 2016) [1] was a Finnish orienteering competitor. She is World Champion in both orienteering and ski orienteering. She became the first World Champion in ski orienteering, in 1975. [2]
At the World Orienteering Championships in 1970 Kukkonen placed 32nd in the individual event, and participated on the Finnish relay team that placed fourth. [3] She was a member of the Finnish winning team at the 1972 World Orienteering Championships, together with team mates Pirjo Seppä and Liisa Veijalainen, and placed 25th in the individual contest. [4] [5] At the 1974 World Championships she placed 22nd in the individual, and fifth in the relay. [6] She won a silver medal at the 1976 relay event, together with Outi Borgenström and Liisa Veijalainen, and placed seventh in the individual contest. [7] She also participated in the 1978 World Championships, where she placed 22nd in the individual contest. [8]
Kukkonen participated at the first official World Ski Orienteering Championships, held in Hyvinkää, Finland, in 1975. At these championships she won a gold medal in the individual event, 46 seconds ahead of Agneta Månsson from Sweden. She also won a gold medal in the relay, together with team mates Raili Sallinen and Aila Flöjt. [2] [9] At the 1977 World Championships in Velingrad, Bulgaria, she won a gold medal in the relay, with Kaija Halonen and Aila Flöjt, and a bronze medal in the individual contest. [10] In 1980 Kukkonen placed fourth in the individual contest, and won a gold medal with the Finnish relay team, together with Mirja Puhakka and Kaija Silvennoinen. [11] At the 1982 World Championships she won a silver medal in the relay, together with team mates Sirpa Kukkonen and Mirja Puhakka, and she placed shared fourth in the individual contest. [12]