As well as winning the silver medal in the 50 kilometres Nordic race at the Games in Norway, Kolehmainen also raced at Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 but just missed out from securing a podium place when he finished fourth in the competition.

He also represented his nation in the discipline at the 1954 Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun and the 1958 edition in Lahti, where he finished in 11th and fifth place respectively.

Kolehmainen, who was also a war veteran, had remained in good health until recently and spent only the last week of his life in a nursing facility in his home town of Mikkeli.

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