Meeting in Stockholm: Latvian-Swedish National Athletics Championships

20.08.1966 (Latvija)

Stockholm (x) — After a 30-year hiatus, Latvian athletes had another opportunity to compete in athletics with Swedish athletes at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm on August 3 and 4. On October 4, 1936, the national race walking competition between Latvia and Sweden took place in the same stadium, and our world record holder in walking, Jānis Dāliņš, fought and won many times in this stadium.

A total of 33 athletes from occupied Latvia and six companions arrived in Stockholm by ship directly from Riga on August 1. Among the athletes was one Estonian, who now lives in Latvia, a couple of athletes of Latvian origin who no longer speak Latvian, it seems that they were born in Russia or had lived there for a long time, and several Russians who, it seems, live in the territory of present-day Latvia. The youngest athlete was 19, and the oldest was 30. Among the athletes were the famous javelin thrower Jānis Lūsis , shot putter Viktors Lipsnis and 100 m runner Edvīns Ozoliņš. The latter had previously lived in Leningrad. It should be noted that all three usually represent Russia in international competitions.

Among the escorts were Laicāns, deputy head of the Latvian Sports Administration, Ducmanis, head of the athletics section and sports editor, Mazzālītis, javelin thrower coach and teaching staff at the Institute of Physical Education in Riga, Kumuška, running coach, and two other leaders of the delegation.

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In the shot put, Viktors Lipsnis took 2nd place with a throw of 17.06 m,  while Arturs Sliede took 4th place . Also in the 3000 m hurdles, Latvian Jānis Jabubovs took 2nd place with a time of 8:44.8 min., while Jānis Uzuliņš took 4th place. In the 4 X 100 m relay, the Latvian foursome: Ojārs Gaņģis, Imants Kuklics, Uldis Pūķis and Edvīns Zāģeris took 2nd place with a time of 3:16.3 min.

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