Ragnar Stenberg Explained

Ragnar Stenberg
Full Name:	Ragnar Olof Jakob Stenberg
Birth Date:	14 June 1887
Birth Place:	Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Death Place:	Helsinki, Finland
Education:	Licentiate of dentistry, 1914
Occupation:	Dentist
Sport:	Track and field
Event:	Sprint
Club:	Helsingin Unitas

Ragnar Olof Jakob Stenberg (14 June 1887 – 6 December 1954) was a Finnish sprinter and a sports leader.

Athletics

Olympic Games

He was injured during the Finnish Olympic trials of 1908, but was selected based on his performance the previous year.^[1]

Ragnar Stenberg at the Olympic Games

Games	Event	Result	Notes
1908 Summer Olympics	100 metres	5th in heat, did not advance to semifinals	Source:^[2]
	200 metres	3rd in heat, did not advance to semifinals	Official records say he finished his heat, but Finnish sources say he did not finish due to muscle strain
	400 metres	Did not start	Source:^[3]
	800 metres	Did not start	Source:^[4]
	110 metres hurdles	Did not start	Source:^[5]
	400 metres hurdles	Did not start	Source:^[6]

He was a board member of the Finnish Olympic Committee in 1919–1920 and 1923–1926.

National

He is credited with two Finnish record times in 400 metres:^[7]

• 9 September 1906, he tied the current record with 52.4 seconds
• 31 August 1908, his time 53.0 is noted as a national record

In the Finnish Championships in Athletics, he won a five golds:

• 400 metres: 1907^[8]
• 110 metre hurdles: 1907^[9] and 1909
• combined running championship: 1907^[10] and 1909^[11]

Other

Stenberg was a member of the International Association of Athletics Federations Council in 1921–1926.^[12]

He was the chairman of the track and field athletics chapter of the Finnish Gymnastics and Sports Federation, the predecessor of the Finnish Athletics Federation, in 1914–1915 and 1919–1922.^[13]

He was a manager of Clas Thunberg.

Personal

His parents were father Jakob Esaias Stenberg and mother Anna Maria Brofeldt.^[14] His brother R. E. Stenberg was also a sprinter,^[15] who broke the Finnish record for 4 × 100 metres relay in 1917.^[16]

He graduated as a licentiate of dentistry in 1914. His practice was in Helsinki.^[17]

Notes and References

1. Book: Laitinen . Esa . 1993 . Suomen yleisurheilu 1908 . fi . 1 . 952-904620-0.
2. Book: The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary . Mallon . Bill . Buchanan . Ian . McFarland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States . 2001 . 48 . 978-0-7864-0598-5 .
3. Book: The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary . Mallon . Bill . Buchanan . Ian . McFarland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States . 2001 . 102, endnote 47 . 978-0-7864-0598-5 .
4. Book: The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary . Mallon . Bill . Buchanan . Ian . McFarland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States . 2001 . 103, endnote 68 . 978-0-7864-0598-5 .
5. Book: The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary . Mallon . Bill . Buchanan . Ian . McFarland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States . 2001 . 106, endnote 122 . 978-0-7864-0598-5 .
6. Book: The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary . Mallon . Bill . Buchanan . Ian . McFarland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States . 2001 . 107, endnote 138 . 978-0-7864-0598-5 .
7. Book: Laitinen . Esa . 1987 . Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa . fi . Helsinki . Finnish Amateur Athletic Association . 567.
8. Book: Hannus . Matti . Laitinen . Esa . Martiskainen . Seppo . 2002 . Kalevan kisat, Kalevan malja — vuosisata yleisurheilun Suomen mestaruuksia . fi . Lahti . Suomen urheiluliiton julkaisut . 181 . 951-96491-5-8 .
9. Book: Hannus . Matti . Laitinen . Esa . Martiskainen . Seppo . 2002 . Kalevan kisat, Kalevan malja — vuosisata yleisurheilun Suomen mestaruuksia . fi . Lahti . Suomen urheiluliiton julkaisut . 207 . 951-96491-5-8 .
10. Book: Laitinen . Esa . 1987 . Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa . fi . Helsinki . Finnish Amateur Athletic Association . 329.
11. Book: Laitinen . Esa . 1987 . Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa . fi . Helsinki . Finnish Amateur Athletic Association . 331.
12. Book: Siukonen . Markku . 2001 . Urheilukunniamme puolustajat. Suomen olympiaedustajat 1906–2000 . Suuri olympiateos . fi . 12 . Jyväskylä . Graface . 315 . 951-98673-1-7 .
13. Book: Virtapohja . Kalle . 2022 . SVUL:n vuosisata. Suomen suurin ja vaikutusvaltaisin urheilujärjestö . The Century of SVUL . Suomen Urheilumuseosäätiön tutkimuksia . fi . 4 . Helsinki . Urheilun ja liikunnan kulttuurikeskus TAHTO, SVUL . 469 . 9789526644219 . 2243-1489.
14. Book: 1949 . Valtonen . Veikko . Suomen hammaslääkärit 1948. Finlands tandläkare 1948 . fi, sv . Helsinki . 399.
15. 7 December 1916 . Soinio . Kaarlo . Kaarlo Soinio . . fi . Helsinki . 8–10/1916–1917 . 122 . 0355-6085 . Viimeiset tulevat ensimmäisiksi.
16. Book: Laitinen . Esa . 1987 . Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa . fi . Helsinki . Finnish Amateur Athletic Association . 576.
17. News: 14 June 1937 . 50-vuotias . Helsingin Sanomat . fi . 2 . 0355-2047 . 14 June 2022 . Digital Collections of National Library of Finland.