In 1971 Salin improved his national record in the 400 m hurdles to 49.6 and was national champion in both hurdling events. At the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki he qualified for the final in the 400 m hurdles, placing sixth in 50.57; he remained the last Finn to qualify for a European Championships final in men's 400 m hurdles until Oskari Mörö did it in 2014. In 1972 Salin won his third consecutive national title in the 400 m hurdles and set his personal best and last Finnish record, 49.5, in Helsinki. At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich Salin represented Finland in the 400 m hurdles, as well as (with Stig Lönnqvist, Ossi Karttunen and Markku Kukkoaho) in the 4 × 400 m relay; in the hurdles he was eliminated in the first round, but the Finnish relay team placed sixth in the final and set the still-standing national record of 3:01.12.