June 9, 1930 – The “Flying Finn,” Paavo Nurmi ran 6 miles at a world record pace of 29:36.4. Just to place that into perspective, the current official world records in the 10,000 meters are held by Kenenisa Bekele with 26:17.53 minutes for men and Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia with 29:17.45 minutes for women.
The Finnish runner, Paavo back in his day dominated distance running in the early 20th century. Nurmi had at one point set 22 official world records at distances between 1500 meters and 20 kilometers! The great athlete also took home nine gold and three silver medals in his twelve events in the Summer Olympic Games he competed.
At his athletic peak, Nurmi was undefeated for 121 races at distances from 800 meters and longer. Throughout his 14-year career, he remained unbeaten in cross country events and the 10,000 meters.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
Should These Five Former NFL Head Coaches Be In The Hall of Fame?
It must be noted that I wrote this article in March of 2018, before
Boxers vs. Wrestlers Matches Over The Years (Who Prevails?)
In this segment, I am going to focus on Boxer vs Wrestler matches that
Super Bowl XXV (Bills vs. Giants): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXV, which was held on January 27, 1991, at
G.O.A.T Debates: Who Were The Greatest NFL Players Of All-Time?
Is it just me? Is anyone else getting tired of the endless debates about
The Greatest Thanksgiving Game In Pro Football History (1974 Cowboys vs. Redskins)
There have been some really great pro football Thanksgiving Day games throughout the course
Bears vs. Cardinals: NFL’s Oldest Rivalry
It began over 100 years ago. An intense rivalry between two NFL teams like
Super Bowl XXIV (Broncos vs. 49ers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXIV, which was held on January 28, 1990, at
Washington Football History: With Frank Reading
Frank Reading (host of Ringside With Reading: Boxing History From Yesteryear) hops in my