Arvo Aaltonen

Arvo Ossian Aaltonen (1892 to 1949) was a Finnish breaststroke swimmer who competed at three Summer Olympics, in 1912, 1920 and 1924. His best Games were those of 1920 in Antwerp, where he won bronze medals in both the 200 metre and 400 metre breaststroke. That made him the first Finnish Olympic medalist in swimming, and he stayed the only one until Antti Kasvio took a bronze in the 200 metre freestyle in 1992. He did not reach the finals in 1912 or 1924. At home he was a dominant swimmer of his generation, holding 22 Finnish titles across the 100, 200 and 400 metre events between 1909 and 1927, and he won the 200 metre event at the 1923 Nordic Championships. Away from the pool he served on the board of the Finnish Swimming Federation in the late 1920s and again in the 1940s, and he lived in Canada from 1929 until he returned to Finland in 1937.