1500 meters world record run in Turku 1957

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The 1500-meter world record run in Turku 1957 is a name given to the 1500-meter race that was held on July 11, 1957 in the southwestern Finnish city of Turku . The simultaneous Olavi Salsola and Olavi Salonen set a new world record. It was noteworthy for the run that all three winners beat the previous world record, came from Finland, had the same first name and were born in 1933. The next day, the new world record was broken by the Czechoslovak Stanislav Jungwirth .

World record development until 1957

Until 1954, the world record development over the 1500 meters progressed relatively slowly. After Paavo Nurmi from Finland and the German Otto Peltzer had set new world records in the 1920s, the French Jules Ladoumègue managed the first run under 3:50 minutes (3: 49.2 minutes) in Paris on October 5, 1930. During the time of the Second World War, the Swede Gunder Hägg improved the world record several times to last 3: 43.0 minutes (July 7, 1944 in Gothenburg). This mark was to last for almost a full ten years before a world record flood over the 1500 meters set in in 1954. With Wes Santee (United States), John Landy (Australia), Sándor Iharos (Hungary), László Tábori (Hungary), Gunnar Nielsen (Denmark) and István Rózsavölgyi (Hungary), six different athletes set new world records within 26 months .

World record run from Turku

Finish line: Salonen, Vuorisalo and Salsola (from left to right)

Around 9,000 spectators came to the Turku stadium " Turun urheilupuisto " on July 11, 1957 to watch an athletics competition, but above all the 1,500-meter run. As early as 1954, the Australian John Landy had set a new record in the mile run in Turku with 3:58 minutes and also improved the world record in the 1,500 meter run. The 1957 starters included the Swede Dan Waern (* 1933), the American mile record holder Don Bowden (* 1936) and Tom Courtney (* 1933) from New Jersey, who held the world record over half the mile distance in 1956 won gold in the 800 meter run in Melbourne. From Finland, the three namesakes Olavi Vuorisalo (* 1933), Olavi Salonen (* 1933) and Olavi Salsola (1933-1995) competed. The three Finns had not yet won any significant races internationally, but had become the best 1,500-meter runners in the country over the past few years and the summer. Reigning Finnish champion over the distance was Olavi Vuorisalo. Salonen, on the other hand, had not won a single Finnish individual championship title until 1957. Another starter was Matti Nurmi , the son of Turku-born Paavo Nurmi .

The race was viewed by the experts as an exciting comparison between runners from the United States and Scandinavia. Especially the Swede Dan Waern was under observation at the latter. In the end, it was Dan Waern who reached the home straight while in the lead in the race . His lead was about three meters before the Finnish trio consisting of Vuorisalo, Salsola and Salonen could catch up. The three Finns ran past Waern and almost simultaneously reached the goal. After the finish photo was evaluated, Olavi Salsola was declared the winner of the run, but at the same time as Olavi Salonen. With 3: 40.2 minutes you had beaten the previous world record of the Hungarian István Rózsavölgyi by four tenths of a second. The third of the run, Olavi Vuorisalo, also stayed below the previous world record with his 3: 40.3 minutes. Dan Waern stayed above the old world record time with 3: 40.8 minutes. Matti Nurmi was ninth with 3: 54.8 minutes.

After the world record run

The following day, Salonen and Salsola had to surrender their world record again. In Stará Boleslav (Altbunzlau) near Prague in Czechoslovakia, Stanislav Jungwirth improved the world record of Salonen and Salsola by a whole 2.1 seconds to 3: 38.1 minutes. The Australian Herb Elliott was to undercut this record in 1958 and hold it until 1967.

The world record holders for one day Olavi Salonen and Olavi Salsola as well as Olavi Vuorisalo were denied further international successes. Salonen ran the 1500 meters in 1961 in 3: 42.0 minutes. In 1962 he was fourth in the European championship in the 800 meter run. Salsola ended his career in 1960. In August 1958 he ran the 1500 meters in Turku again in a good 3: 41.5 minutes. At the European Championships in Stockholm in the same year he was only twelfth. With Vuorisalo there were no further great successes. In 1958 he ran the 1500 meters twice in 3: 40.8 minutes and was fifth at the European Championships. In 1960 he ran at the Olympic Games in Rome, but failed clearly in the preliminary round to reach the finals. In 1957, however, he was awarded the title of athlete of the year in Finland as the reigning Finnish cross country champion .

literature

  • Matti Hannus : Olaveihin Suomi luotti - mestarimailerit Salonen, Vuorisalo, Salsola . Suomen urheiluliitto, 2009 (Finnish).
  • Francis Nenik : The Engineer , in: eXchanges. Journal of Literary Translation, Iowa, 2012 (A short story dealing with the Turku world record run).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ iaaf.org: 'Nurmi on Nurmi' - son of 'Flying Finn' legend speaks about his father (English; report from August 13, 2005, accessed on March 9, 2011)