| Birth Date: | df=y 7 March 1969 |
| Birth Place: | Helsinki, Finland |
Valentin Kononen (born 7 March 1969) is a Finnish former race walker. His competitive accomplishments include winning several medals in major competitions, which ranks him as one of the top Finnish performer in his sport.
Kononen's most notable achievement was winning a gold medal in the 1995 World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg. He also won silver medals in the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart and the 1998 European Championships in Budapest.
| Representing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 6th | 50 km | 4:03:07 | |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 5th | 50 km | 4:02:34 | |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 7th | 50 km | 3:57:21 | |
| 1993 | Monterrey, Mexico | 6th | 50 km | 3:57:28 | ||
| Stuttgart, Germany | 50 km | 3:42:02 | ||||
| 1994 | Helsinki, Finland | 7th | 50 km | 3:47:14 | ||
| 1995 | Beijing, PR China | 3rd | 50 km | 3:42:50 | ||
| Gothenburg, Sweden | 50 km | 3:43:42 | ||||
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 7th | 50 km | 3:47:40 | |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 9th | 50 km | 3:53:40 | |
| 1998 | Budapest, Hungary | 50 km | 3:44:28 | |||
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | - | 50 km | DNF | |
| 2000 | Sydney, Australia | - | 50 km | DSQ | ||