Page "Paavo Nurmi" Paragraph 20

Nurmi stated to a Swedish newspaper that " this is absolutely my last season on the track.

I am beginning to get old.

I have raced for fifteen years and have had enough of it.

" However, Nurmi continued running, turning his attention to longer distances.

In October, he broke the world records for the 15 km, the 10 miles and the one hour run in Berlin.

Nurmi's one-hour record stood for 17 years, until Viljo Heino ran 129 metres further in 1945.

In January 1929, Nurmi started his second U. S. tour from Brooklyn.

He suffered his first-ever defeat in the mile to Ray Conger at the indoor Wanamaker Mile.

Nurmi was seven seconds slower than in his world record run in 1925, and it was immediately speculated if the mile had become too short a distance for him.

In 1930, he set a new world record for the 20 km.

In July 1931, Nurmi showed he still had pace for the shorter distances by beating Lauri Lehtinen, Lauri Virtanen and Volmari Iso-Hollo, and breaking the world record on the now-rare two miles.

He was the first runner to complete the distance in less than nine minutes.

Nurmi planned to compete only in the 10, 000 m and the marathon in the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, stating that he " won't enter the 5, 000 meters for Finland has at least three excellent men for that event.