XC skiing great Veikko Hakulinen dies after being struck by car{mosimage}Finnish cross-country great Veikko Hakulinen, whose final burst -- at 35 years old -- gave Finland the 4x10-kilometer relay gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, has died after being struck by a car October 25 in Finland. He was 78.

Hakulinen, who won the 1952 Olympic 50km and 1956 Olympics 30km, anchored the Finnish relay team for much of the 1950s, medaling at every Olympics or world championships from 1952 through 1960.

Career highlights:
1952 Olympics, Oslo, Norway: 50km gold
1954 World Championships, Falun, Sweden: 18km and relay gold, 30km and 50km silver
1956 Olympics, Cortina, Italy: 30km gold, 50km and relay silver
1958 World Championships, Lahti, Finland: 15km gold, 50km silver, relay bronze
1960 Olympics, Squaw Valley, California: relay gold, 50km silver, 15km bronze