 Lauri Lehtinen in 1931 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 10 August 1908 Kerkkoo, Porvoo, Finland | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 4 December 1973 (aged 65) Helsinki, Finland | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||
| Event | 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] | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Lauri Aleksanteri Lehtinen (10 August 1908[3] – 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, Lehtinen 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][4]
At the 1936 Summer Olympics, Lehtinen defended his title, but finished second, after his 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."
