Mikhail Kaaleste (born Mihail Stoljarov; 20 August 1931 – 5 May 2018)[1] is an Estonian sprint canoeist who competed in 1950s. He won a silver medal in the K-2 1000 m event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.[2][3]

Mihhail Kaaleste
Personal information
NationalityEstonian
Born(1931-08-20)20 August 1931
Väike-Vertuskino, Saatse Vald, Petseri County, Estonia
Died5 May 2018(2018-05-05) (aged 86)
Sport
Sportcanoe sprint
Medal record
Men's canoe sprint
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne K-2 1000 m
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1958 Prague K-2 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 1958 Prague K-4 1000 m

Kaaleste changed his last name in 1940 from Stoljarov. Originally going into cross-country skiing, he was changed to sprint canoeing by his coaches at Dynamo Sports Club. After winning a silver medal in Melbourne, Kaaleste won two bronze medals at the 1958 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Prague (K-2 1000 m, K-4 1000 m). He also won several medals in the Soviet Union in cross-country skiing in the 1950s.[4]

In 1964, he became coach for the Dynamo Leningrad biathlon and cross-country skiing. Kaaleste's wife, Anna, finished ninth in the 10 km cross-country skiing event at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

References

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