Lauri Lehtinen
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| File:Lauri Lehtinen 1931.jpg
Lauri Lehtinen in 1931
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Born | 10 August 1908 Kerkkoo, Porvoo, Finland |
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| Died | 4 December 1973 (aged 65) Helsinki, Finland |
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| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | ||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 1500–10000 m | ||||||||||||
| Club | HT, Helsinki | ||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 1500 m – 3:55.5 (1931) 5000 m – 14:16.9 (1932) 10000 m – 30:15.0 (1937)[1][2] |
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Medal record
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Lauri Aleksanteri Lehtinen (10 August 1908 – 4 December 1973) was a Finnish long-distance runner, winner of a controversial 5000 m race at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Lehtinen ran a new world record in 5000 m (14:17.0) just a month prior to the Olympics, thus becoming a main favourite to the Olympic 5000 m title. In the final, the Finns Lehtinen and Lauri Virtanen led early. They managed to shake off all other competitors except Ralph Hill from the United States. Soon the race turned into a battle between Lehtinen and Hill. On the last lap, Hill tried to overtake Lehtinen. Seeing this, the Finn blocked his way, zig-zagging from one lane to the other to the great exasperation of the crowd. At the finish, Lehtinen crossed first a mere 50 centimetres ahead. Although this was a common tactic in Europe, the American audience was unaccustomed to it, so they booed. Hill declined to file a protest. They both recorded an identical time of 14:30.0. This was the only Olympic race longer than 200 metres in which the top two finishers recorded identical times.[1][3]
At the 1936 Summer Olympics, Lehtinen couldn't defend his title, finishing second after fellow countryman Gunnar Höckert.[1]
In 1940, Lehtinen donated his Los Angeles gold medal to a soldier who had served with distinction on the Karelian Isthmus. Lehtinen's gesture was a mark of respect for Höckert, who was killed in action on the Isthmus.[1]
In Kerkkoo village in Porvoo, there is a road named after him, "Lauri Lehtisen Tie."
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lauri Lehtinen. sports-reference.com
- ↑ Lauri Lehtinen. trackfield.brinkster.net
- ↑ Athletics at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games: Men's 5,000 metres. sports-reference.com
| Records | ||
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| Preceded by | Men's 5000 m World Record Holder 19 June 1932 – 16 June 1939 |
Succeeded by Taisto Mäki |
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link from Wikidata
- 1908 births
- 1973 deaths
- People from Porvoo
- People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)
- Finnish long-distance runners
- Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
