Arvo Aaltonen

{{short description|Finnish swimmer}}

{{Infobox swimmer

|name=

|image=Arvo Aaltonen.jpg

|image_size = 180px

|caption=

|birth_date=2 December 1892

|birth_place=Pori, Finland

|death_date=17 June 1949 (aged 59)

|death_place= Pori, Finland

| height =

| weight =

|sport=Swimming

|strokes=breaststroke

|coach=

| pb = 100 m – 1:23.1 (1919)
200 m – 2:58.9 (1925)
400 m – 6:25.4 (1913)

|alma_mater=

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{FIN}} }}

{{MedalOlympics}}

{{MedalBronze| 1920 Antwerp | 200 m breaststroke}}

{{MedalBronze| 1920 Antwerp | 400 m breaststroke}}

}}

Arvo Ossian Aaltonen (2 December 1892 – 17 June 1949) was a Finnish breaststroke swimmer who competed at the 1912, 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/46679 |title=Arvo Aaltonen |work=Olympedia |access-date=7 June 2021}} He won bronze medals in the 200 m and 400 m events in 1920, and failed to reach the finals in 1912 and 1924.

Aaltonen was the first, and until 1992 (with Antti Kasvio's bronze medal-winning 200m freestyle performance), the only Finnish Olympic medalist in swimming. He won the 200 m event at the 1923 Nordic Championships, and he held 22 Finnish titles: in the 100 m (1912, 1915–17), 200 m (1909, 1911–13, 1915–16, 1919–21, 1923, 1925–27) and 400 m (1912–13, 1915–17). In 1924–30 and 1946–47, he was a Finnish Swimming Federation board member. He immigrated to Canada in 1929 but returned to Finland in 1937.