Heino Lipp facts for kids

Heino Lipp (born June 21, 1922 – died August 28, 2006) was a super talented Estonian athlete. He was one of the best decathletes in the 1940s. A decathlon is a competition where athletes do ten different track and field events! Heino Lipp was also amazing at the shot put, setting six European records. Sadly, he could never compete in the Olympic Games. This was because the Soviet Union, which controlled Estonia at the time, did not let its citizens travel outside the countries it controlled, known as the Iron Curtain countries.

Heino Lipp's Amazing Sports Career

Heino Lipp was born in a place called Erra Parish in Estonia. He was one of the greatest decathletes ever. But his amazing achievements were hidden for a long time because of the difficult politics during the Cold War. His family believed strongly in Estonia being a free country. Because of this, Heino Lipp faced many challenges. Soviet authorities often restricted him and sometimes held him because they saw his family as "politically unreliable." He was not allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union.

Top Rankings and Hidden Talent

In 1948, a famous sports magazine called Track & Field News ranked Heino Lipp as the number one decathlete in the world! Just four days after an American athlete named Bob Mathias won the 1948 Olympic decathlon, Heino Lipp scored even higher. He scored 7,584 points at a competition in Tartu, Estonia. A month later, he set his personal best score of 7,780 points in Kharkiv.

However, people in Western countries didn't know about or believe Lipp's scores. This was because the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had strict rules. Foreign observers were not allowed to watch competitions, so there was no way to check the results. The West never saw Lipp compete. Even other Soviet-controlled countries couldn't see him. For example, Lipp was not allowed to go to Budapest for the World University Games in 1949.

Olympic Dreams and Restrictions

In 1951, the Soviet Union finally joined the Olympic movement. They took part in the 1952 Summer Olympics. The Soviet news said Lipp couldn't go because he was "ill." But the real reason was that the Soviet secret police, called the KGB, stopped him from going. Even though the Olympics were close by in Helsinki, Finland, they didn't trust him. If he had competed in 1952, he might not have won gold, but he could have easily won a silver medal. His training was also made harder when his scholarship was taken away in 1950. He had to hunt animals just to get enough food.

Heino Lipp became a Soviet champion 12 times and set 13 national records. He never caused any trouble for the Soviet government. Yet, because of his family's background, the authorities still saw him as someone they couldn't fully trust.

A Hero's Return and Recognition

After Estonia became independent from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, Heino Lipp finally got to visit the United States. He went to the Goodwill Games in Seattle as a special guest.

He had been kept from the world stage for so long. But in Barcelona, at the age of 76, he proudly carried the Estonian flag at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics. It was a truly special moment for him and for Estonia.

Heino Lipp's World Rankings

Heino Lipp was ranked among the best athletes in the world by Track & Field News:

• Decathlon:
  • 1947 – 2nd place
  • 1948 – 1st place
  • 1949 – 2nd place
  • 1950 – 4th place
  • 1953 – 4th place
• Shot Put:
  • 1947 – 1st place
  • 1948 – 5th place
  • 1949 – 7th place
  • 1950 – 3rd place
  • 1951 – 3rd place
  • 1952 – 9th place
  • 1953 – 10th place
• Discus Throw:
  • 1947 – 5th place
  • 1948 – 5th place

Amazing Records Set by Heino Lipp

Heino Lipp set many impressive records during his career.

European Shot Put Records

He set six European records in the shot put:

• 16.66 meters on May 24, 1947, in Tartu
• 16.72 meters on July 7, 1947, in Tartu
• 16.73 meters on September 3, 1947, in Kharkiv
• 16.93 meters on August 6, 1950, in Moscow
• 16.95 meters on June 17, 1951, in Põltsamaa
• 16.98 meters on September 7, 1951, in Minsk (his best)

Estonian Decathlon Records

He also set several Estonian records in the decathlon:

• 6631 points in 1946 in Tartu
• 7097 points in 1947 in Tallinn
• 7584 points in 1948 in Tartu
• 7780 points on September 11, 1948, in Kharkiv (his personal best)

Estonian Discus Throw Records

Heino Lipp also held Estonian records for the discus throw:

• 49.41 meters on September 5, 1947, in Kharkiv
• 49.50 meters on July 31, 1947, in Tartu
• 52.18 meters on August 29, 1948, in Moscow (his personal best)

Awards and Honors

Heino Lipp received many awards and honors for his contributions to sports:

• 1954: Named USSR Master of Sports
• 1965: Named USSR Master of Sports of International Class
• 1991: Became an Honorary member of the Estonian Olympic Committee
• 1992: Was the Estonian Olympic team flag bearer at the Opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona
• 1998: Received the Order of the White Star 3rd class (a high Estonian award)
• 1999: Awarded the City of Tallinn Medal