Olavi Salonen (20 December 1933 – 6 March 2025) was a Finnish athlete who was a world record holder of men's 1500-metre run.
Salonen participated in the Summer Olympic Games in 1500 m in 1960 and 1964. At the European Athletics Championships he competed twice in 800 metres, in 1958 and 1962.
On 11 July 1957, Salonen ran a 1500-metre race in Turku. He finished second with the same world record time 3:40.2 as the winner Olavi Salsola. The new world record stood only for one day. Czech runner Stanislav Jungwirth ran 3:38.1 on the next day at Stará Boleslav.
Salonen died on 6 March 2025, at the age of 91.
1500 metres world record progression
Olavi Salonen statistics at Tilastopaja (in Finnish)
Men's world record progression