This 1925 sculpture of Paavo Nurmi is located near Helsinki's former Olympic Stadium.
It depicts the runner, lifesized and sprinting. The artist is Wäinö Aaltonen (1894 - 1966)
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"Paavo Nurmi (1897-1973) was a legendary Finnish runner. He broke 20 world records in various distances and, in total, won nine Olympic gold and three Olympic silver medals in the Antwerp (1920), Paris (1924) and Amsterdam (1928) Olympic Games.
The Finnish government commissioned a full-length statue of Paavo Nurmi from Wäinö Aaltonen after the 1924 Paris Olympics. Although Nurmi modelled for Aaltonen they decided that the statue would not be a realistic portrait of Nurmi but a monument to the "Finnish runner". Nurmi's features were combined with aesthetically ideal ones. For instance, although Nurmi used the entire length of his soles when running, the statue runs lightly on its toes, giving its movement dynamic smoothness. The nudity of athletes' portrayal is a Classical ideal, copied in Finnish sculpture of the 1920's. Following the civil war, artists were inspired by the heroic and militant world of antiquity, as is seen in the themes and the classicist form favoured at the time.
Aaltonen was so enthusiastic about the statue that he already finished the clay modelin 1924. It was cast in bronze by Aukusti Veuro in 1925. Five full-length (2,2 metres) bronze casts were made of the statue. Four of the sculptures are in Finland. One is situated in front of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium and was erected in 1952. Others are at The Art Museum of Ateneum in Helsinki, at Jyväskylä University, and in the city of Turku. The fifth sculpture is in Lausanne, Switzerland."
and Wikipedia (
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"Paavo Johannes Nurmi...(13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finnish middle and long distance runner. He was nicknamed as the "Flying Finn" as he dominated distance running in the early 20th century. Nurmi set 22 official world records at distances between 1,500 metres and 20 kilometres, and won a total of nine gold and three silver medals in his twelve events in the Olympic Games. At his peak, Nurmi was undefeated at distances from 800 m upwards for 121 races. Throughout his 14-year career, he remained unbeaten in cross country events and the 10,000 m.
Born into a worker family, Nurmi left school at the age of 12 to provide for his family. In 1912, he was inspired by the Olympic feats of Hannes Kolehmainen and began developing a strict training program. Nurmi started to flourish during his military service, setting national records en route to his international debut at the 1920 Summer Olympics. After a silver medal in the 5,000 m, he took gold in the 10,000 m and the cross country events. In 1923, Nurmi became the first, and so far only, runner to hold the mile, the 5,000 m and the 10,000 m world records at the same time. He went on to set new world records for the 1,500 m and the 5,000 m with just an hour between the races, and take gold medals in the distances in less than two hours at the 1924 Olympics. Seemingly untouched by the Paris heat wave, Nurmi won all his races and returned home with five gold medals, but embittered, as Finnish officials had refused to enter him for the 10,000 m.
Struggling with injuries and motivational issues after his exhaustive U.S. tour in 1925, Nurmi found his long-time rivals Ville Ritola and Edvin Wide ever more serious challengers. At the 1928 Summer Olympics, Nurmi recaptured the 10,000 m title but was beaten to the gold in the 5,000 m and the 3,000 m steeplechase. He then turned his attention to longer distances, breaking the world records for events such as the one hour run and the 25-mile marathon. Nurmi intended to end his career on a marathon gold medal, as his idol Kolehmainen had done. In a controversial case that strained Finland–Sweden relations and sparked an inter-IAAF battle, Nurmi was suspended before the 1932 Games by an IAAF council that questioned his amateur status. Two days before the opening ceremonies, the council rejected his entries. Although he was never declared a professional, Nurmi's suspension became definite in 1934 and he retired from running.
Nurmi later coached Finnish runners, raised funds for Finland during the Winter War, and worked as a haberdasher, building contractor and share trader, eventually becoming one of Finland's richest people. In 1952, he was the lighter of the Olympic Flame at the Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Nurmi's speed and elusive personality spawned nicknames such as the "Phantom Finn", while his achievements, training methods and running style influenced future generations of middle and long distance runners. Nurmi, who rarely ran without a stopwatch in his hand, has been credited for introducing the "even pace" strategy and analytic approach to running, and for making running a major international sport."
and
"Gold 1920 Antwerp 10,000 m
Gold 1920 Antwerp Individual cross country
Gold 1920 Antwerp Team cross country
Gold 1924 Paris 1,500 m
Gold 1924 Paris 5,000 m
Gold 1924 Paris Individual cross country
Gold 1924 Paris Team cross country
Gold 1924 Paris 3,000 m team
Gold 1928 Amsterdam 10,000 m
Silver 1920 Antwerp 5,000 m
Silver 1928 Amsterdam 5,000 m
Silver 1928 Amsterdam 3,000 m steeplechase"