View source for Ville Ritola

{{Short description|Finnish long-distance runner (1896–1982)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Ville Ritola
| image          = Ville Ritola 1928.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = Ville Ritola at the 1928 Olympics
| fullname       = Vilho Eino Ritola
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1896|1|18|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Peräseinäjoki]], [[Grand Duchy of Finland]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date     = {{death date and age|1982|4|24|1896|1|18|df=y}}
| death_place    = [[Helsinki]], Finland
| height         = {{convert|1.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight         = {{convert|66|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| sport          = Running
| club           = Tampereen Pyrintö<br>Helsingin Toverit 
| alma_mater     = 
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Country | {{FIN}} }}
{{Medal|Olympics}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris]]|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 10,000 metres|10,000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1924 Paris|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase|3000 m steeplechase]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1924 Paris|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 3000 metres team race|3000 m team]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|1924 Paris|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's team cross country|Team cross country]]}}
{{Medal|Gold|[[1928 Summer Olympics|1928 Amsterdam]]|[[Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1924 Paris|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's individual cross country|Individual cross country]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1924 Paris|[[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics – Men's 5000 metres|5000 m]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|1928 Amsterdam|[[Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's 10,000 metres|10,000 m]]}}
}}

'''Vilho''' "'''Ville'''" '''Eino Ritola''' (18 January 1896 – 24 April 1982) was a [[Finland|Finnish]] [[long-distance track event|long-distance]] runner.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67783 |title=Ville Ritola |work=Olympedia |access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> Known as one of the "[[Flying Finn]]s", he won five Olympic gold medals and three Olympic silver medals in the 1920s. He holds the record of winning [[List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games|most athletics medals at a single Games]] – four golds and two silvers in [[Athletics at the 1924 Summer Olympics|Paris 1924]] – and ranks second in terms of [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games|most athletics gold medals at a single Games]].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/tfn_pdfs/2012_athletics_stats1.pdf |title=OLYMPIC TRACK & FIELD ATHLETICS, THE RECORDS |date=15 June 2014 |publisher=Track and Field News }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== Childhood and emigration to the United States ==
Ritola's parents, Johannes Ritola (1851–1944) and Serafia Gevär (1863–1919), were farmers in western Finland near [[Seinäjoki]]. He was born in [[Peräseinäjoki]], Finland. He was the 14th child in his family and had altogether 19 siblings, five of whom died in infancy. Six of the children were from his father's first marriage, 14 from the second, including Ville.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web | url=http://www.migrationinstitute.fi/vex/nayttelyt/Ville_Ritola_1996.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714170022/http://www.migrationinstitute.fi/vex/nayttelyt/Ville_Ritola_1996.pdf |archive-date=2014-07-14 |url-status=live | title=Siirtolaisurheilija Ville Ritola syntymästä 100 vuotta | publisher=Migration institute of Finland | date=15 June 2014 | language=Finnish}}</ref>

In 1913 he followed seven of his siblings and emigrated to the [[United States]] to work as a carpenter.<ref name=r1>{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ri/ville-ritola-1.html |title=Ville Ritola |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417052307/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ri/ville-ritola-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-17}}</ref> There he started training in 1919 when he was already 23 years old. Later he referred many times to this late start of his sports career, and how it put him at a disadvantage compared to his rivals, especially the more famous of the Flying Finns, [[Paavo Nurmi]], who started systematic training in his teens. In 1919 he joined the Finnish-American Athletic Club and trained together with [[Hannes Kolehmainen]], who had moved to the United States after the [[1912 Summer Olympics]]. In spring 1919 he took part in his first competition, a New York street race, and finished 33rd among 700 competitors. It was only after this that he started to train systematically.<ref name=autogenerated3 />

Kolehmainen tried to convince the young Ritola to join the Finnish [[1920 Summer Olympics]] team, but Ritola stated that he was not ready yet. He had also just married Selma née Aaltonen. In 1921 he started to compete systematically, and in 1922 he won his first [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] Championship gold medals. The same year he came second in the [[Boston Marathon]].<ref name=autogenerated3 />

== Paris Olympics 1924 ==

In 1923, American Finns started collecting funds to pay for Ville Ritola's trip to Finland, where in May 1924 he took part in the Finnish Olympic qualification competitions. In the 10,000 m qualifying race Ritola won with a [[10,000 metres world record progression|world record]] time of 30.35.4. This was Ritola's first official world record.<ref name=autogenerated3 />

At the [[1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Paris Olympics]], he won four gold and two silver medals. He had a start on eight consecutive days to achieve this, all long-distance.

In his first race, the 10,000 m, in the absence of Nurmi, he won by half a lap and obliterated his own fresh world record by more than 12 seconds. Finnish officials had selected Ritola for the race as Nurmi was already running in five other distance events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/may/18/50-stunning-olympic-moments-paavo-nurmi |title=50 stunning Olympic moments No31: Paavo Nurmi wins 5,000m in 1924 |date=18 May 2012 |work=[[The Guardian]] |author=Burnton, Simon }}</ref> Three days later, Ritola won the [[3000 m steeplechase]] by 75 metres. The next day he finished second in the 5000 m, 0.2 seconds behind Nurmi. Ritola later earned another silver medal behind Nurmi in the individual cross-country race and gained a gold medal as a member of the Finnish cross-country team. Finally, Ritola joined Nurmi to win the 3000 m team race.<ref name=autogenerated2 />

Ritola's 1924 triumph in Paris is historical. His six medals from Paris is still the biggest number of medals won by an athlete in one Olympic games event. His four gold medals put him in second place after Paavo Nurmi in the number of gold medals won by an athlete in one Olympic Games event.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

== Back to the United States ==

After the Olympics, Ritola had to return to the US to find employment, while his pregnant wife remained in Finland. His daughter Anja was born in November 1924. Selma joined her husband in the US with the baby in March 1925.<ref name=autogenerated3 />

In winter 1924–1925, Ritola competed in the United States and Canada and beat world record times in the 3000 m (8 min 26.8 sec), 3000 m steeplechase (9 min 18.6 sec), 5000 m (14 min 23.2 sec), 2 miles, 2 mile steeplechase, 3 miles and 5 miles.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sul.fi/uutiset/jarjestotoiminta/sul-100-vuotta-ville-ritola | title=Viljam "Ville" Ritola (ent. Koukkari) | publisher=SUL | date=15 June 2014 | language=Finnish}}</ref>  These were not official world records as they were run indoors.

== Amsterdam Olympics 1928 ==
[[File:Ville Ritola and Paavo Nurmi 1928.jpg|thumb|right|Ritola leads [[Paavo Nurmi]] in the 1928 Olympic 10000 m race.]]
In 1928, Ritola was 32 years old and had worked in construction for more than a decade. He had not trained systematically even though he still had won four gold medals in the AAU Championships 1927.<ref name=autogenerated3 />

In the [[1928 Summer Olympics]], Ritola's main competitor was again [[Paavo Nurmi]]. This time each got one win. The first race was 10,000m. Ritola took the lead at 1,500m, and only four competitors followed. At 3,000m, Ray (US) dropped from the leading group and before 4,000m, Beavers (UK). As [[Edvin Wide|Wide]] (Sweden) dropped at 6,500m, only Nurmi followed Ritola. At 100m before the finish Nurmi sprinted and won by 0.6 seconds. Wide was third, losing by a 45.2s margin.<ref name=autogenerated2>Jukola, Martti (toim.): ''Olympialaiskisat: III osa''. WSOY, 1928.</ref>

Ritola's last Olympic appearance was in the 5,000 m at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Both Ritola and Nurmi had hurt themselves in the steeplechase qualification competitions. Nurmi had a sore hip and Ritola a sore ankle. However, Ritola again took the lead at 2,500m. At 600m before the finish, only Ritola and Nurmi were left in the leading group. This time, Ritola pulled away from Nurmi in the final curve and won by 12 metres – 3 seconds. Wide nearly caught Nurmi, and Nurmi only held on to silver by a 0.2s margin.<ref name=autogenerated2 /> This victory brought Ritola's career total to five Olympic gold medals and three silver medals.<ref name=r1/>

Ritola never competed in the Finnish championships, but won a handful of medals in the [[Amateur Athletic Union|AAU]] Championships in the United States.<ref name=r1/> He was the AAU champion at {{convert|6|mi|km}} in 1927, at {{convert|10|mi|km}} road race in 1922, 1923 and from 1925 to 1927, at {{convert|2000|yd|abbr=on}} steeplechase in 1923, 1926 and 1927 and at cross country in 1922, 1923 and from 1925 to 1927.

== After sports career ==
Ritola retired from athletics soon after the 1928 Olympic Games. He took part in only a few US competitions after 1928. He returned to American construction sites and worked in physically demanding jobs until 1959. He took US citizenship in 1937. His daughter, Anja Impola, married and lived in the US until her death in 2013. Ritola's wife Selma died in 1965 and he remarried, to Liisa Lauren, in 1967. Ritola moved back to Helsinki, Finland with his wife in 1971 and died in [[Helsinki]] aged 86.<ref name=autogenerated3 />

== Honours ==
* A statue for Ville Ritola was prepared by sculptor Maija Nuotio in 1978 and placed in his homeplace Peräseinäjoki (now part of Seinäjoki).<ref name=autogenerated3 />
* A sports hall in Peräseinäjoki was named RitolaHalli.
* At Ville Ritola's funeral in 1982 the coffin bearers included other Olympic heroes such as [[Lasse Virén]].<ref name=autogenerated3 />
* Kunto-Ritola, annual long-distance event

== Curiosities ==
Ritola's career inspired a [[phrase]] into colloquial [[Finnish language|Finnish]]. "''Ottaa ritolat''", translating as something like "pull a Ritola", means to make a quick exit from somewhere.

== See also ==
{{portal|Sport of athletics}}
*[[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists]]
*[[List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games]]
*[[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games]]
*[[List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists]]

== References ==
{{Commons category|Ville Ritola}}
{{Reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|before=[[Paavo Nurmi]] |title=[[10,000 metres world record progression|Men's 10.000 m World Record Holder]]|years=25 May 1924 – 31 August 1924 |after=[[Paavo Nurmi]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 5000 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 10000 m Men}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 3000 m Steeplechase Men}}
{{Footer US NC 10000m Men}}
{{Footer US NC Steeplechase Men}}
{{Footer US NC Cross Country Men}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritola, Ville}}
[[Category:1896 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Seinäjoki]]
[[Category:Athletes from South Ostrobothnia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Finland]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Finland]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Finland]]
[[Category:Finnish men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Finnish men steeplechase runners]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Finland to the United States]]
[[Category:Olympic cross country runners]]
[[Category:Olympic men long-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic men steeplechase runners]]
[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]]
[[Category:USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners]]