Veli-Matti "Aku" Partanen (born 28 October 1991, in Lappeenranta) is a Finnish racewalker who competes mostly at the 50 kilometres race walk. Partanen's club is Lappeenrannan Urheilumiehet.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 October 1991 Lappeenranta, Finland |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Weight | 55 kg (121 lb)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | 50km Race Walk |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best |
|
Partanen competed at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, where he was 41st at 50 kilometres.[2] At the 2014 European Championships, in Zürich, Partanen was 18th. His time was 3:52:58. In 2018, he competed in the men's 50 kilometres walk at the 2018 European Athletics Championships held in Berlin, Germany.[3] He did not finish his race.[3] In 2019, he competed in the men's 50 kilometres walk at the 2019 World Athletics Championships held in Doha, Qatar.[4] He did not finish his race.[4]
Partanen's original name was Veli-Matti, but he changed his name to Aku because everyone called him Aku.[citation needed]
In 2021, he represented Finland at the 2020 Summer Olympics, where he finished 9th in the men's 50 kilometres walk and set a season best of 3:52:39.[5]
Records
- 50 kilometres race walk: 3.49.02 (Dudince 2015)[2]
References
External links
- Aku Partanen at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)