Volmari Iso-Hollo
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Volmari "Vomma" Fritijof Iso-Hollo (5 January 1907 – 23 June 1969)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was a Finnish runner. He competed at the 1932 and 1936 Olympics in the 3000 m steeplechase and 10000 m and won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals. Iso-Hollo was one of the last "Flying Finns", who dominated distance running between the World Wars.
As a youth, Iso-Hollo did skiing, gymnastics and boxing, and took up running when he joined the army. He was successful over distances between 400 m and marathon.<ref name=r1/>
Iso-Hollo won his first Olympic gold medal in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 1932 Summer Olympics. He was denied a chance at the world record because the officials lost count of the number of laps – the lap-counter was looking the wrong way, being absorbed in the decathlon pole vault. When Iso-Hollo went to his last lap, the official failed to ring the bell, and the entire field kept on running, covering the distance of 3460 m. If the distance were 3000 m, Iso-Hollo probably would have broken the world record. He also won the silver in the 10,000 m.<ref name=r1/>
In 1933, Iso-Hollo broke the 3000 m steeplechase world record, running 9.09.4 in Lahti and won the British AAA Championships title in the steeplechase event at the British 1933 AAA Championships.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He went to the 1936 Summer Olympics as a favourite. He won the steeplechase by three seconds, finishing with a new world record of 9:03.8, and earned a bronze medal over the 10,000 m. After the Olympics, Iso-Hollo fell ill with rheumatism but kept on competing until 1945. He died in 1969 aged 62.<ref name=r1/> Template:Clear left
References
Further reading
- Wallechinsky, David and Kaime Loucky (2008). The Complete Book of the Olympics – 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press, Limited. pp. 122, 169.
External links
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- Pages with broken file links
- 1907 births
- 1969 deaths
- Sportspeople from Ylöjärvi
- Finnish men long-distance runners
- Olympic athletes for Finland
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for Finland
- Olympic silver medalists for Finland
- Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
- Finnish men steeplechase runners
- Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists in athletics
- Olympic silver medalists in athletics
- Olympic bronze medalists in athletics
- Finnish Army personnel
- Athletes from Pirkanmaa
- 20th-century Finnish sportsmen