Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi, the “Flying Finn”, made his début at the 1920 Games in Antwerp. Nurmi developed his legendary stamina by:
A) Working as a foot messenger B) Guiding mountain climbers C) Chasing trains ü D) Running eight miles to school each day
Nurmi claimed that he had built his endurance by chasing the morning mail train in his home town. He dominated distance running throughout the twenties, winning gold medals and breaking world records in the 1500, 5000 and 10000 metres, and the cross-country. Of twelve Olympic contests, he won nine and was second in the other three. At the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Nurmi revisited his Olympic past by carrying the torch on its last leg into the stadium for the opening ceremony. An opera about his life, Paavo the Great. A Great Race. A Great Dream, was performed in Helsinki in August, 2000.
