Flying Finns

"The Flying Finn" (Finnish: Lentävä suomalainen, Swedish: Flygande finländaren) is a nickname given to several Finnish athletes who were noted for their speed. It was given to several Finnish middle- and long-distance runners. The term also refers to notable Finnish racing drivers. Flying Finn is also the title of a documentary about the history of sports in Finland, and is the first English-language documentary produced in Finland. AthleticsThe nickname was first used of Hannes Kolehmainen, also known as "Smiling Hannes." He took home three gold medals and broke two world records during the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. As Finnish runners started to dominate long-distance running, the nickname was passed on to all successful Finns in the sport, including multi-Olympic gold medalists Paavo Nurmi and Ville Ritola. Nurmi won three gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Belgium and five at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he was partnered with Ritola, who ran to four gold medals. Volmari Iso-Hollo, the winner of 3000 m steeplechase at the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics, was one of the best-known Finnish runners in the 1930s and also nicknamed the Flying Finn. During