Kurt Wires

{{short description|Finnish canoeist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox sportsperson |name= |image= Yrjö Hietanen and Kurt Wires 1952.jpg | image_size = 270px |caption= Wires (right) and Yrjö Hietanen at the 1952 Olympics |birth_date=28 April 1919 |birth_place= Helsinki, Finland |death_date=22 February 1992 (aged 72) |death_place=Espoo, Finland | height = 176 cm | weight = 74 kg |sport=Canoe racing |club= |alma_mater= | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{FIN}}}} {{MedalOlympics}} {{MedalSilver|1948 London|K-1 10000 m}} {{MedalGold|1952 Helsinki|K-2 1000 m}} {{MedalGold|1952 Helsinki|K-2 10000 m}} }}

'''Kurt Oskar "Kurre" Wires''' (28 April 1919 – 22 February 1992) was a Finnish canoe sprinter who competed in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. In 1948 he won a silver medal in the individual 10000 m event. Four years later he earned two gold medals in the 1000 m and 10000 m doubles, together with Yrjö Hietanen.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417181910/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wi/kurt-wires-1.html Kurt Wires]. Sports Reference.com</ref>

==Personal life== Wires served in the Finnish Army during the Second World War and lost his right eye during the Continuation War.<ref name="Olympedia">{{Cite web |title=Kurt Wires |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/9565 |access-date=22 January 2021 |website=Olympedia}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wires, Kurt}} Category:1919 births Category:1992 deaths Category:Canoeists from Helsinki Category:Swedish-speaking Finns Category:Canoeists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Category:Canoeists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Category:Finnish male canoeists Category:Olympic canoeists for Finland Category:Olympic gold medalists for Finland Category:Olympic silver medalists for Finland Category:Olympic medalists in canoeing Category:Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics Category:Finnish military personnel of World War II Category:Finnish disabled sportspeople Category:20th-century Finnish sportsmen