January 5 Birthdays

1922
Gustaf Jansson, Swedish long-distance runner. A three-time Swedish national champion in the marathon (1951, 1952, 1953), Jansson was the bronze medalist in the 1952 (Helsinki) Olympic marathon at 2:26:07.0.

1926
Veikko Karvonen, Finland, long-distance runner. Karvonen was one of the dominant marathoners of the 1950s, ranked number one in the world in that event by Track & Field News in 1951, 1954, and 1955. Slowed by a leg injury, Karvonen finished fifth in the 1952 (Helsinki) Olympic marathon (2:26:41.8), but returned to Olympic competition in 1956 (Melbourne) to win the bronze medal in the marathon (2:27:47). In 1954 Karvonen won both the European marathon championship (2:24:51.6) and the Boston Marathon (2:20:39). Karvonen also had second-place finishes at Boston in 1953 and 1957. All in all, from 1949 to 1959 Karvonen started 34 marathons and won 14. He passed away in his native Finland on 1 August 2007.