Paavo Nurmi

Paavo Nurmi (1897–1973) was a Finnish middle- and long-distance runner who won nine Olympic gold medals and set 22 official world records during the 1920s.

1920 Summer Olympics: The Olympic Games held in Antwerp, Belgium, from April to September 1920. Nurmi won three gold medals and one silver in his first Olympic appearance.
Pacing (sports): The distribution of effort over time or distance during a sporting performance. Nurmi used a stopwatch to regulate his pace rather than rely only on competitors.
Ville Ritola: A Finnish distance runner who won five Olympic gold medals and set multiple world records in the 1920s. Ritola was Nurmi's teammate and chief rival, sometimes winning races Nurmi did not enter.
Finland at the Olympics: Finland's participation and medal record at the Olympic Games. Nurmi's medals helped make Finland a conspicuous Olympic nation in the early twentieth century.
1924 Summer Olympics: The Olympic Games held in Paris from May to July 1924. Nurmi won five gold medals, including victories in the 1,500 and 5,000 metres on the same day.
Interval training: A training method that alternates periods of intense exercise with recovery intervals. Nurmi's repeated fast runs with recoveries anticipated a method later widely used in distance running.
Lauri Lehtinen: A Finnish distance runner who won the 5,000 metres at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Lehtinen followed Nurmi's generation and defended Finland's strength in Olympic distance running.
Finnish national identity: The shared historical and cultural ideas through which people understand Finland and Finnish belonging. Nurmi's international victories became a source of pride during Finland's early decades of independence.
1928 Summer Olympics: The Olympic Games held in Amsterdam from May to August 1928. Nurmi added a gold in the 10,000 metres and silvers in the 5,000 metres and steeplechase.
Stopwatch: A timekeeping device designed to measure elapsed intervals precisely. He reportedly carried one in races to monitor speed and maintain a planned pace.

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