Paavo Nurmi

Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi, was an Olympic legend whose dedication to a rigorous training schedule and mastery of pace judgment brought a new dimension to distance running. Between 1920 and 1928 he won a record nine Olympic gold medals (six individual; three team) and three individual silver medals. His medals came in a wide range of events: 1,500 metres, 3,000 metres (team), 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres, steeplechase and cross-country. In 1932, he was banned for alleged professionalism and missed the chance to add the 1932 marathon, for which he was one of the favorites, to his list of Olympic successes. Although subsequently reinstated as an amateur for domestic races, he continued to be excluded from international competition, a decision that left him embittered for the rest of his life. However, he returned to the Olympic arena in 1952 when he carried the torch into the Opening Ceremony. The incomparable “Flying Finn” set 22 official and 13 unofficial world records, and statues (done by Wäinö Aaltonen in 1925) honoring his feats stand in his hometown of Turku, outside the Olympic stadium in Helsinki, and in the park of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

Personal Bests: 1500 – 3:52.6 (1924); 3000 – 8:20.4 (1926); 5000 – 14:28.2 (1924); 10000 – 30:06.1 (1924); 3000S – 9:31.2e (1928).