THE FLYING FINN

Hawera Star, Volume L, 26 July 1930, Page 12

THE FLYING FINN

NEW WORLD’S RECORD. STAMFORD BRIDGE RUN. Paavo Nurmi, the famous Finnish athlete and. holder of several world’s records, put up a sensational performance at Stamford Bridge, England, last month, when he covered six miles in 29min 23 2-osec, smashing Alfred Shrubb’s old standing world’s record of 29min 59 2-ssee. Nurmi has been invited to make a tour of Australia, next season, -and as he may visit New Zealand if lie comes, the news of his latest feat will be read with more than passing interest. Several British athletes, one of whom had 3min 50see start, paced Nurmi, who finished third, a lap and a half behind the limit man. Nurmi the “Flying Finn,” is hoav 33. He is a little more bald and plumper than when he participated in the Amsterdam' Olympiad. He gave an amazing exhibition of his apparently midimmed powers when he heat Shrubb’s j 25-vear-oid record. He treated the i pacemakers as milestones. When one, I caught up, essayed to pull him out, Nurmi did not respond. He ran like a robot, to a schedule, glancing at the end of his laps at liis faithful stopwatch, carried in his hand. Nurmi did the first mile in 4min 45 2-ssee, which was 1 l-ssec slower than Shrubb’s time. His relentless stride gave him four seconds to the good at the end of four miles. He kooked off another six in the fifth mile, and he ran the last mile in 4min 40 4-ssec, his fastest of the day.