He was born in
Liperi and was killed in action in
Mäntysova,
East Karelia. Lappalainen was a part of the
Military patrol for Finland that took silver in the
1924 Winter Olympics. He won the 50 km cross-country skiing event at
Holmenkollen ski festival in 1928. As a result of this victory, he became the second non-Norwegian winner of any event run up to that point, behind fellow Finn
Anton Collin, who won the 50 km event in 1922. At the
1928 Winter Olympics he finished seventh in the
18 km event and ninth in the
50 km event. Four years later he finished fourth in the
18 km event at the
1932 Winter Olympics in
Lake Placid, New York. He also participated in the
50 km event but did not finish. At the
1934 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in
Sollefteå he won a gold in the 4 × 10 km relay and a bronze in the 18 km. He was killed in action during
World War II. ==Cross-country skiing results==