Lauri Aleksanteri Lehtinen (10 August 1908 – 4 December 1973) was a Finnish long-distance runner and the winner of a controversial 5000 m race at the
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
.
Lehtinen set a new
world record
A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...
in the 5000 m (14:17.0) just a month before the
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...
, making him a leading favorite for the Olympic 5000 m title. In the final, Lehtinen and fellow Finn
Lauri Virtanen
Lauri Johannes Virtanen also known as Lasse Virtanen (3 August 1904 – 8 February 1982) was a Finnish long-distance runner who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics.Ralph Hill of the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The race soon became a duel between Lehtinen and Hill. On the last lap, Hill attempted to overtake Lehtinen, who blocked him by zig-zagging across lanes—a common tactic in Europe but unfamiliar to the American audience, who responded with boos. Lehtinen narrowly won by 50 centimeters, with both runners recording identical times of 14:30.0. Hill declined to protest the result. This remains the only
Olympic
Olympic or Olympics may refer to
Sports
Competitions
* Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896
** Summer Olympic Games
** Winter Olympic Games
* Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
race longer than 200 meters where the top two finishers recorded identical times.
Lehtinen won the British
AAA Championships
The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...
title in the 3-mile event at the
1933 AAA Championships
The 1933 AAA Championships was the 1933 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 7 to 8 July 1933 at White City Stadium in London, England.
The Championship ...
.
At the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
, Lehtinen attempted to defend his title but finished second to fellow Finn
Gunnar Höckert
Gunnar Mikael Höckert (12 February 1910 – 11 February 1940) was a Finland, Finnish runner, winner of the 5000 m race at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
Biography
Born in Helsinki to a wealthy family, Gunnar Höckert had only one great season, ...
.
In 1940, Lehtinen donated his Los Angeles gold medal to a soldier who had served with distinction on the
Karelian Isthmus
The Karelian Isthmus (; ; ) is the approximately stretch of land situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia, to the north of the River Neva. Its northwestern boundary is a line from the Bay of Vyborg to the we ...
. This gesture honored Höckert, who was killed in action on the Isthmus.
In the village of Kerkkoo in Porvoo, a road is named in his honor: "Lauri Lehtisen Tie."