Finnish Olympian Tutu Sohlberg Passed Away

Dressage

Finland

Finnish Olympic team rider Tutu Sohlberg has passed away on 3 June 2026. She was 84 years old.

Adrenaline

Tutu Sohlberg (née Suvi Tuulikki Bärlund) grew up with a need for speed: horse power from either equines or cars.

Skilled behind the wheel, she was Finnish ice track driving champion in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1971. In 1964 she won the Women's Cup on the Finnish Championship track. She raced cars on a semi-professional basis and lived of getting paid to participate in competitions.

She also loved skiing and sought the adrenaline rush in the slalom.

Sohlberg married her high school sweetheart Kari Sohlberg in 1963. They were a couple for 68 years. The majority of their life they lived in Westend, but the last years of her life she spent in Oitmäki.

Horse Power

Horses became her true passion and Tutu developed an interest in equestrian sport after watching show jumping at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

She become a riding instructor in Strömsholm, Sweden, and taught for a while at Keijo Tuominen's Tapiola Riding School in the late 1960s. Tutu and her husband Kari livedin Germany for a period of time where Kari did his postgraduate studies. She trained with Jürgen Koschel and Uli Kasselmann at the time.

Her first horses were Chirocco and the Irish imported Monday Morning. The latter ended up competing at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow with Christopher Wegelius. Pakistan (by Partisan x Wurf) became the horse that changed Tutu's life. She trained with him in the U.K under Lars Sederholm and Jennie Loriston-Clarke.

The 1998 Finnish Olympic team: Sohlberg,
Eriksson, Raiskio, Kyrklund

In the 1980s, Sohlberg was a member of Christopher Wegelius' board of directors at the Finnish Equestrian Association. The dressage support association KorK was founded by Sohlberg in 1982 together with Kyra Kyrklund.

She won the 1985 Finnish Championship with Frenchman (later a schoolmaster for Maarit Raiskio) and added three silver medals and a bronze to her tally with Frenchman, Pakistan and System GWS between 1983 and 1987.

Olympian

Tutu and Pakistan first represented Finland at the 1987 European Championships in Goodwood , where they were 26th in the Grand Prix. Finland finished seventh in the nations' ranking.

Her career highlight was in 1988 when Sohlberg contributed to Finland's best ever Olympic team result in Seoul. The Finnish team, including Sohlberg on Pakistan, Kyra Kyrklund, Jenny Eriksson and Maarit Raiskio, finished sixth. Sohlberg was 35th in the individual competition.

After the Olympics Tutu announced her retirement from competition sport. She was awarded the Master Rider Medal for her achievement at the 1988 Olympics.

Pakistan

Finnish team at the 1987 Europeans in Goodwood

Olympic team mate Kyra Kyrklund remembered Tutu's horse Pakistan quite well and told Eurodressage that he "was quite spooky and quite a character, not that easy. He learnt it all quite easily up to Grand Prix. He actually started Grand Prix when he was 6. Maybe one of the funniest memories I have of the two of them together was in Schoten at the CDI. The warming up was near the stable and then you had to walk through a swampy area into the dressage arena, quite far away. I helped them warm up and then I took a short cut to the competition arena. I waited and couldn't see her anywhere. I ran back to try to find her and I heard her scream "Kyra Kyra help." It turned out that they were pumping out water from the ditches and Pakistan got afraid and jumped into the ditch and landed on his side with her on. He got out from there and they were both totally muddy on one side, but she still wanted to start. I scraped off the worst mud with my hands and then in she went in."

Kyrklund added, "in one way that shows that she was very Finnish with a lot of sizzle. She was not into giving up because of a little bit of mud. She went in because it was an important show for the Olympics." Kyra remembered the hours they spent together in her car with the horses in the trailer behind, travelling across Europe to compete. "I remember sitting together mile after mile, especially in Germany, criss-crossing to go to shows. We trained with Jurgen Koschel and shared an apartment so we lived together for a long time. She was very special."

Pakistan moved on as a schoolmaster for Marko Bjors, Finland's current youth team trainer. In 1989 Tutu served as the team captain for the Finnish team at the European Young riders Championships in Salzburg, guiding riders including Marko Björs, Eva Holmström, Heidi Svanborg, and Kikko Kalliokoski to a silver medal finish.

Legacy

Tutu had five children: Tiina, Nina, Mika, Marika, and Kristian. Tiina and Marika inherited the horse gene and rode. Mika got intro the trotting world. Tiina married into the notable Tallberg family, known for its Olympic sailing heritage. Peter Tallberg competed for Finland in the Olympics five times — from 1960 in Rome to 1980 in Moscow.

Tutu's grandchildren also competed in dressage. Grand daughter Anna Tallberg (° 1996) represented Finland at the 2017 European Young Riders Championships on Fernet, and with Grevens Zorro at the 2021 European Under 25 Championships, 2022 World Dressage Championships and 2023 European Senior Championships. She sold her horse in 2024 and has not yet returned to international competition sport.

Granddaughter Emma Tallberg (° 1996) competed internationally in show jumping up until 2019.

Julia Tallberg (°1990) competed Ruter Dam (by Bolero x Lambert) as a youth rider in the late 2000s-early 2010s. She showed last internationally at the 2015 World Young Horse Championships on Highland Park (by Figaro R x Sunshine Prince). She moved to Germany and started a family there.

Sad Passing

Tutu, who had been suffering from a heart condition for the past few years, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 3rd, surrounded by her loved ones.

In 2024 she received Honorary membership of the Finnish Equestrian Federation for her impact on the field, including her efforts in mentoring and fostering talent within national team.

"Even that she is sadly gone, she will not be forgotten in Finland, especially through KorK," Kyrklund added. The foundation is still operating to this day and continues to receive funding to support and develop Finnish dressage.

A beautiful tribute to Sohlberg was posted here.