The Flying Finn

On this day thirty-three years ago, one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century died in Helsinki. Paavo Nurmi was 76 years old, and still the most famous Finnish athlete in the world. He was given a state funeral in Helsinki’s Old Church.

In the 1920’s, Nurmi’s dominance as a distance runner was unequaled, and it has not been equaled since. During that time he held world records in all distances from 1,500m to 10,000m. At the end of 1923 he simultaneously held world records in the mile, the 5000m, and the 10,000m, the only athlete ever to do so.

The Paris Olympics in 1924 were Nurmi’s finest hour. He won five gold medals in six days, and performed his most legendary feat, winning the 1,500m and then coming back two hours later to win the 5,000m. In all, Nurmi won nine Olympic gold medals in his career, one of only four athletes to achieve that mark.

Nurmi’s exploits in Paris made him a celebrity around the world, and in 1925 he went on a much-ballyhooed tour of America, running in 55 races over the course of five months, winning 53 of them. The tour captivated the American public and press. During that time he inherited the nickname "The Flying Finn," which had originally been given to his countryman, Hannes Kolehmainen.

He retired from running in 1934, and largely retired from public life, going on to amass a considerable fortune as businessman. He lit the torch to open the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, a moment in Finland to rival the impact of the Ali torch-lighting in Atlanta 44 years later.

Always a serious man, as Nurmi aged he grew introverted and melancholy, and was known to downplay his achievements as child’s play, saying, “Only real work, science and art have any true value.” When he died on October 2, 1973, he was eulogized around the world. Marjatta Väänänen, the Finnish Minister of Education, said in her commemoration speech: "Records will be broken, gold medals lose their lustre, winners find their victors. As historical concept, Paavo Nurmi will never be beaten."

To give you an idea of just how cherished Nurmi’s memory is in Finland, in 1987, his image was placed on the Finnish ten-mark note (they use euros now). Think about that. Can you imagine Ali ever bouncing Jackson off the ten-dollar bill?