Contents
Paavo Nurmi
Winning nine Olympic gold medals in distance running.
Five Paris golds · A same-day double
- Born
- 13 June 1897
- Birthplace
- Turku, Finland
- Died
- 2 October 1973
More people
Paavo Nurmi
Finnish runner who dominated much of the 1920s through carefully controlled pacing and systematic training. His Olympic successes made him a national sporting symbol.
Early life
Working childhood
Left school after his father’s death to help support the family.
Olympic inspiration
Hannes Kolehmainen’s 1912 victories encouraged him to pursue running seriously.
Career
- 1920
International debut
Won three Olympic gold medals at Antwerp.
- 1924–1928
Distance-running leader
Continued competing across track and cross-country distances at two more Olympics.
- 1932–1934
Amateur-status dispute
Was barred from the Los Angeles Olympics over expense payments and later ended his racing career.
Achievements
Five Paris golds
Won every Olympic event he entered in Paris.
A same-day double
Won the Olympic 1,500 m and 5,000 m finals less than two hours apart.
Twelve Olympic medals
Collected nine gold medals and three silvers.
Beyond sport
Business career
Built a clothing and construction business after his running career.
Medical research
Established a foundation supporting cardiovascular research in 1968.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Career and achievements ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author (Suomen Urheilumuseo). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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