Paavo Nurmi

Paavo Nurmi
He is a Finnish track athlete who dominated long-distance running in the 1920s,
capturing nine gold medals in three Olympic Games (1920, 1924, 1928), as well as three
silvers. For eight years (1923–31) he held the world record for the mile run: 4 min 10.4
sec. During his career he established 25 world records at various distances.
He was born on June 13, 1897 at Turku, Varsinais - Suomi Finland. His
full name is Paavo Johannes Nurmi, and his measurements are 174
cm/65 Kg. He passed on October 2, 1973 at Helsinki, Uusimaa
Finland. His parents are Johan Fredrik Nurmi and his wife Matilda
Wilhelmiina Laine. Nurmi's siblings, Siiri, Saara, Martti and Lahja, were
born in 1898, 1902, 1905 and 1908, respectively. In 1903, the Nurmi
family moved from Raunistula into a 40-square-meter apartment in
central Turku, where Paavo Nurmi would live until 1932. The young
Nurmi and his friends were inspired by the English long-distance
runner Alfred Shrubb. They regularly ran or walked six kilometres
(four miles) to swim in Ruissalo, and back, sometimes twice a day.
By the age of eleven, Nurmi ran the 1500 metres in 5:02. Nurmi's
father Johan died in 1910 and his sister Lahja a year later. The family
struggled financially, renting out their kitchen to another family and
living in a single room. Nurmi, a talented student, left school to work
as an errand boy for a bakery. Although he stopped running actively,
he got plenty of exercise pushing heavy carts up the steep slopes in
Turku. He later credited these climbs for strengthening his back and
leg muscles

Achievements:
Olympic Success: Nurmi won a total of nine gold
medals and three silver medals in the Olympics
between 1920 and 1928. His gold medals were in
events ranging from 1500 meters to the 10,000
meters.
World Records: He set numerous world records in
various distances, including the 1500 meters, one
mile, 5000 meters, 10,000 meters, and 20,000
meters. Some of these records stood for many
years.
Unbeaten Streak: Nurmi had an incredible
unbeaten streak in cross-country and track
events, which lasted for several years during his
prime.
Finnish National Championships: He dominated
the Finnish national championships, winning
numerous titles in various track and cross-
country events.
Popularizing Running: Nurmi's success helped to
popularize running as a sport in Finland and
worldwide, inspiring generations of athletes to
pursue excellence in distance running.
Overall, Paavo Nurmi's achievements established
him as one of the greatest distance runners in
history and a national hero in Finland.
Nurmi was part of a talented group of Finnish athletes who were
nicknamed the ‘Flying Finns’. He made his Olympic debut at the
1920 Antwerp Games. He took the competition by storm
winning gold medals in the 10,000m, the cross-country
individual and team event. He also claimed a silver in the
5,000m.
At the 1924 Paris Games, Nurmi made history by becoming the
first athlete ever to win five gold medals at a single Olympic
Games. In the space of four astonishing days, Nurmi won the
1500m, the 5,000m, the 3,000m team event and the two
cross-country events.
Nurmi had hoped to defend his 10,000m title, but Finnish
officials, fearing for his health, refused to enter him in the event.
Back in Finland, an angry Nurmi made his point by setting a
10,000m world record that would last for almost 13 years.
At the 1928 Amsterdam Games, Nurmi completed his Olympic
career by winning the 10,000m and earning silver medals in the
5,000m and the steeplechase. By this time, Nurmi was so
famous he was invited to become the main attraction in athletic
meets worldwide. This prompted the IAAF to brand him a
professional, causing him to miss out on the 1932 Olympic
Games and a possible 10th gold medal.

NICOLE ANN M. MORALIDAD STEM 11 - A 01