ATHLETE

Paavo Nurmi

1897 - 1973

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Paavo Johannes Nurmi (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈpɑːʋo ˈnurmi] ; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" or the "Phantom Finn" because he dominated distance running in the 1920s. Nurmi set 22 official world records at distances between 1,500 metres and 20 kilometres, and won nine gold and three silver medals in his 12 events in the Summer Olympic Games. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Paavo Nurmi has received more than 966,970 page views. His biography is available in 63 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 61 in 2019). Paavo Nurmi is the 2nd most popular athlete (up from 3rd in 2019), the 7th most popular biography from Finland (down from 6th in 2019) and the most popular Finnish Athlete.

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.

Memorability Metrics

  • 970k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 70.55

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 63

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 10.80

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.99

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among ATHLETES

Among athletes, Paavo Nurmi ranks 2 out of 6,025. Before him are Abebe Bikila. After him are Jesse Owens, Emil Zátopek, Bob Beamon, Carl Lewis, Spyridon Louis, Dick Fosbury, Ronnie Coleman, Usain Bolt, Fanny Blankers-Koen, and Javier Sotomayor.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1897, Paavo Nurmi ranks 10. Before him are William Faulkner, Amelia Earhart, Anthony Eden, Subhas Chandra Bose, Ludwig Erhard, and Ivan Konev. After him are Wilhelm Reich, Lucky Luciano, Georges Bataille, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia, Louis Aragon, and Norbert Elias. Among people deceased in 1973, Paavo Nurmi ranks 19. Before him are İsmet İnönü, Walter Ulbricht, J. Hans D. Jensen, Ivan Konev, Ludwig von Mises, and John Ford. After him are Pearl S. Buck, Henri Charrière, Max Horkheimer, Pablo Casals, Víctor Jara, and Ferdinand Schörner.

Others Born in 1897

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Others Deceased in 1973

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In Finland

Among people born in Finland, Paavo Nurmi ranks 7 out of 751. Before him are Alvar Aalto (1898), Jean Sibelius (1865), Simo Häyhä (1905), Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867), Tove Jansson (1914), and Sauli Niinistö (1948). After him are Frans Eemil Sillanpää (1888), Mika Waltari (1908), Aki Kaurismäki (1957), Tarja Halonen (1943), Urho Kekkonen (1900), and Juho Kusti Paasikivi (1870).

Others born in Finland

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Among ATHLETES In Finland

Among athletes born in Finland, Paavo Nurmi ranks 1. After him are Hannes Kolehmainen (1889), Ville Ritola (1896), Lasse Virén (1949), Matti Järvinen (1909), Albin Stenroos (1889), Gunnar Höckert (1910), Elias Katz (1901), Ilmari Salminen (1902), Volmari Iso-Hollo (1907), Juhani Suutarinen (1943), and Lauri Virtanen (1904).

Finnish born Athletes

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