Elias Katz

Elias Katz

Katz (right) behind Paavo Nurmi and Oskari Rissanen in 1920
Medal record
Men’s athletics
Representing Finland
Olympic Games
	1924 Paris	3000 metre team
	1924 Paris	3000 metre steeplechase

Elias Katz (June 22, 1901 – December 24, 1947) was a Finnish track and field athlete, who competed mainly in the 3000 metres steeplechase.

Born in Turku, Katz was Jewish. He competed for Finland in the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France in the 3000 metre steeple chase where he won the silver medal. He then joined with two of the greatest distance runners Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola to win the gold medal in the 3000m team race as well.

He joined the Bar Kochba Jewish sports club in Berlin in 1924. In 1933 Katz immigrated to Palestine, where he was coach of the Palestinian track team for the 1948 Maccabi Games. In December 1947 while filming at a British army camp during the Civil War in Mandatory Palestine, he was killed in an attack by Arab terrorists.

See also

• List of select Jewish track and field athletes

Further reading

• Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Track & Field (Men): 3000-Meter Steeplechase". In The Complete Book of the Olympics - 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press, Limited. pp. 168–9.