Hannes Kolehmainen

Juho Pietari Kolehmainen was born in Kuopio, eastern Finland, into an athletic, vegetarian family of bricklayers. Working in bricklaying and masonry, Kolehmainen developed immense stamina running in the Finnish forests alongside his brothers Tatu and Viljami. In 1911, he proved his world-class ability at the British AAA Championships, running with a light, bounding stride and a calm smile that earned him the British press's moniker 'Smiling Hannes.'

At the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games, Finland was still a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire without an independent flag. Kolehmainen turned the Games into a national awakening: he won the 10,000 meters by 45 seconds, took silver in the team cross-country, and defeated French favorite Jean Bouin in an immortal 5,000-meter final, slicing an astounding twenty-eight seconds off the world record (14:36.6). When the Russian flag was raised for his victories, Kolehmainen famously remarked that he almost wished he hadn't won so he wouldn't have to see the Russian tricolor; nevertheless, his feats were celebrated as 'running Finland onto the map of the world.'

After World War I, Kolehmainen returned for the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, conquering the rain-soaked 42.75-kilometer marathon in a world record time of 2:32:35.8. Along with Paavo Nurmi, Kolehmainen was given the honor of lighting the Olympic beacon at the 1952 Helsinki Games, beloved as the patriarch of Finnish athletics.