Hannes Kolehmainen

Hannes Kolehmainen

Hannes Kolehmainen in 1920
Personal information
Born	9 December 1889 Kuopio, Finland
Died	11 January 1966 (aged 76) Helsinki, Finland
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
Sport	Running
Club	Helsingin Jyry FAAC, New York
Medal record Representing Finland Olympic Games 1912 Stockholm 5000 metres 1912 Stockholm 10000 metres 1912 Stockholm Individual cross country 1920 Antwerp Marathon 1912 Stockholm Team cross country

Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen ( pronunciation ; 9 December 1889 – 11 January 1966) was a Finnish four-time Olympic Gold medalist and a world record holder in middle- and long-distance running. He was the first in a generation of great Finnish long distance runners, often named the "Flying Finns". Kolehmainen competed for a number of years in the United States, wearing the Winged Fist of the Irish American Athletic Club. He also enlisted in the 14th Regiment of the National Guard of New York, and became a U.S. citizen in 1921.

Kolehmainen, a devoted vegetarian and bricklayer by trade, was from a sportive family from Kuopio – his brothers William and Tatu were also strong long distance runners. Tatu competed in two Olympics and finished 10th in the Marathon in 1920. Hannes was one of the stars of the 1912 Summer Olympics in , winning three gold medals. His most memorable was the one in the 5000 m. In that event, he ran a heroic duel with Frenchman Jean Bouin. After leading the field together for most of the race, Bouin was only defeated by Kolehmainen in the final metres, in world record time. In addition, Kolehmainen won the 10000 m and the now discontinued cross country event. With the Finnish team, he also obtained a silver place in the cross country team event.