Kalle Kainuvaara

Kalle Kainuvaara graduated from secondary school in Kuopio in 1912. He joined the local swimming club in 1905 and participated in the diving events at the 1912 and 1920 Olympic Games. He did not qualify for the final in any of the four events, however. At the Antwerpen (Antwerp) Olympics in 1920, he also competed in the modern pentathlon but gave up after the first event, the shooting. Kainuvaara brought a live bear to Antwerp to sell it there at a profit. However, when the local authorities learned about it, they sold the bear to a local zoo for a low price.

Kainuvaara was Finnish champion in 1920-23, 1926 and 1927 in platform diving, and in 1926 and 1927 in plain high diving. Between 1911 and 1927, he had another seven podiums at national championships. In addition, he was also an excellent javelin thrower.

In the early days of his professional career, Kainuvaara worked as a gymnastics, sports and swimming teacher in various Finnish cities as well as a sports journalist in Kuopio and Vyborg (formerly Viipuri). In 1916, he was a gymnastics and swimming teacher at the St. Petersburg cavalry and naval academy. Later that year, he was imprisoned in the Shpalernaya prison in St. Petersburg due to his role as a recruiter for the German-trained Finnish volunteers of the Jäger Battalion.

Kainuvaara later became an officer in the Finnish army, promoted to captain in 1920 and to major in 1921. He fought in the Continuation War and died of a heart attack in Äänislinna in October 1943. He was married to Ester Kainuvaara (née Tenhunen).