Athletes from Finland

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Finnish Athletes of all time. This list of famous Finnish Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Finnish Athletes.

1. #1

   

   Paavo Nurmi

   1897 - 1973

   HPI 75.7765 langs

   Paavo Nurmi was a Finnish runner who was most famous for his achievements in the 1920s and 1930s. He won nine Olympic gold medals and set 22...Read moreShow less

   Paavo Nurmi was a Finnish runner who was most famous for his achievements in the 1920s and 1930s. He won nine Olympic gold medals and set 22 official world records in distances ranging from 1500 meters to 20 kilometers.

2. #2

   

   Hannes Kolehmainen

   1889 - 1966

   HPI 67.2335 langs

   Hannes Kolehmainen is most famous for being the first Finn to win a gold medal in the Olympics, in the 1924 Winter Olympics.

3. #3

   

   Lasse Virén

   b. 1949

   HPI 64.5541 langs

   Finnish long-distance runner

4. #4

   

   Ville Ritola

   1896 - 1982

   HPI 64.5133 langs

   Finnish long-distance runner

5. #5

   

   Matti Järvinen

   1909 - 1985

   HPI 63.6231 langs

   Finnish javelin thrower

6. #6

   

   Albin Stenroos

   1889 - 1971

   HPI 61.8724 langs

   Finnish long-distance runner

7. #7

   

   Ilmari Salminen

   1902 - 1986

   HPI 61.5028 langs

   Finnish long-distance runner

8. #8

   

   Volmari Iso-Hollo

   1907 - 1969

   HPI 60.9525 langs

   Finnish athletics competitor (1907-1969)

9. #9

   

   Gunnar Höckert

   1910 - 1940

   HPI 60.6725 langs

   Finnish runner

10. #10

    

    Jonni Myyrä

    1892 - 1955

    HPI 60.5823 langs

    athletics competitor (1892-1955)