Before taking up wrestling at the end of 1910s, Väinö Ikonen was known as a pole vaulter who won bronze at the 1916 Finnish Championships. As a wrestler, Ikonen won Olympic Greco-Roman bantamweight bronze in 1924 and was World Greco-Roman bantamweight champion in 1921. He also won Nordic titles in 1920 and 1921, a Finnish Greco-Roman featherweight title in 1922, and a Finnish freestyle bantamweight title in 1924. After finishing his sporting career, Ikonen worked as a wrestling coach, serving as coach of the Finnish national team. He also served as a wrestling referee, most notably at the 1936 Olympics, and was a board member of the Finnish Wrestling Federation.
Finland