Paavo Nurmi was born in Turku, Finland. He along with two other Finnish runners of that era were dubbed the Flying Finns. During the 1920s, he was the best middle and long distance runner in the world. He won nine gold and three silver medals in the twelve events he participated between 1920 and 1928 Olympics. In 1920, he won three gold medals in the 10000m, 8000m cross country and 8000m cross country team events. In won a silver medal in the 5000 m event. In 1924, he won five gold medals in the five events he participated in. During the 1928 Olympics, he won a total of three silver medals and one gold medal. After he retired, he set up a haberdasher store in Helsinki, Finland. Nurmi died in 1973 and was given a state funeral. He is considered to be the greatest Track & Field athlete of all time.
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