Siiri Rantanen
Toivo Pelkonen
1998
Bronze, red granite
This statue erected in tribute to successful cross-country skier and Olympic gold medallist Siiri Rantanen shows her skiing in 1950s-era competitive attire. In a career spanning 20 years, Rantanen won several championship medals and for a long time represented Lahti Ski Club. Her statue was unveiled on the opening day of the Salpausselkä Games at the Lahti Sports Centre on 6 March 1998. The statue was sculpted by Toivo Pelkonen.
The sense of movement in the status is intense: the skier’s limbs are extended to the extreme, eloquently expressing the power and speed of top athletic performance, a motion that cannot even be thwarted by the slope of the base. The figure of a forcibly progressing skier embodies the Finnish ideals of grit and perseverance, making the work a unique tribute to Finnish women’s skiing, represented by the legendary Rantanen and her athletic colleagues. The sculpture was in fact the first statue of a female skier in the world.
Artwork on the map
In the area between the stadium and Suurhalli hall, at the beginning of the road leading to the Salpausselkä recreation area. – Salpausselänkatu 7, Lahti.
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Siiri Rantanen
In the area between the stadium and Suurhalli hall, at the beginning of the road leading to the Salpausselkä recreation area. – Salpausselänkatu 7, Lahti.
View on Google Maps
