Erik Koutonen

Erik Koutonen placed fourth at the 1948 AAU triple jump but made the Olympic team when he tied for first at the Olympic Trials. He also placed second in the 1949 AAU triple. Koutonen was born in Finland but came to the United States when he was 11-years-old. His family settled in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

Koutonen served in the US Marine Corps during World War II. After the war he enrolled at the University of Michigan. He finished his degree at Fitchburg State Teachers’ College and settled back in Fitchburg. He taught industrial arts and was the track coach at Fitchburg High School for 30 years. Koutonen was inducted into the Massachusetts Track & Field Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame in 2001.

Personal Best: TJ – 14.92 (48-11½) (1948).