Olympic Games in 1908. At the time, Finland was still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire and the Finns took great national pride especially in the three gold medals won by the original Flying Finn Hannes Kolehmainen at the 1912 Summer Olympics.
Finland was one of the most successful countries at the Olympic Games before World War II. At the 1924 Summer Olympics, Finland, a nation of only 3.2 million people at the time, placed second in the medal count behind only to the USA. Perhaps most significantly, Finnish long-distance runners dominated the Olympics during the 1920s–30s. Paavo Nurmi won a total of nine Olympic gold medals between 1920 and 1928 and set 22 official world records between 1921 and 1931. Nurmi is often considered the greatest Finnish sportsman ever and one of the greatest athletes of all time.
For over 100 years, Finnish male and female athletes have consistently excelled at the javelin throw. The event has brought them nine Olympic gold medals, five world championships, five European championships and 24 world records.
In addition to Kolehmainen and Nurmi, some of Finland’s most internationally well-known and successful sportspeople are long-distance runners Ville Ritola and Lasse Virén; ski-jumpers Matti Nykänen and Janne Ahonen; cross-country skiers Veikko Hakulinen, Eero Mäntyranta, Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi and Mika Myllylä; rower Pertti Karppinen; gymnast Heikki Savolainen; ice hockey players Jari Kurri, Teemu Selänne, and Saku Koivu; football players Jari Litmanen and Sami Hyypiä; alpine skiers Kalle Palander and Tanja Poutiainen; Formula One world champions Keke Rosberg, Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen; and four-time World Rally champions Juha Kankkunen and Tommi Mäkinen.
The 1952 Summer Olympics were held in Helsinki. Other notable sporting events held in Finland include the 1983 and 2005 World Championships in Athletics.
Some of the most popular recreational sports and
