Paavo Nurmi and Emil Zatopek: The runners who changed Olympics

Long distance running, though looked at with suspicion in the early years, soon came to signify the very essence of sport and the Olympic spirit: never to give up. That notion of sweat, tears and endurance transferred itself to all other sports and by the time of Emil Zatopek, this became the abiding spirit of sport. Over the years through the various Olympics Antwerp, 1920, Helsinki 1924, Amsterdam 1928, human fascination with long distance running grew. The human body was not supposed to take such beatings and no one thought the lungs and muscles and the tendons could last the distance. Long distance running carried the Olympics on its shoulders at least during the early years.

Nurmi's 9 Olympic gold medals

Two men stood out: the Finn Paavo Nurmi and later the Czech Emil Zatopek who amazed the world with their running and more with their determination and what Broadbent calls a “monastic regime”. Modern day world champions all follow such a killing, self-flagellating regime but these two first showed us that human being could become humanoids by sheer determination. Broadbent recalls the early life: Nurmi was the son of carpenter who suffered from a weak heart and died young leaving his teenage heir to grow up fast. In the army Nurmi completed a 20km march clad in full combat gear with a 30 pound backpack.

There are more scientific regimes now. In 1920 in Antwerp, Nurmi won the gold in the 10,000 metres the first of his nine gold medals in long distance. By 1924 Olympics his fame had spread and he was known as a stone faced athlete. “He is ever more serious, reserved, concentrated, pessimistic, fanatic. There is such coldness in him and his self-control is so great that never for a moment does he show his true feelings," a French journalist wrote about Nurmi.

"Paavo Nurmi, the famous Finn whose frail legs and stout heart have made him the most talked about athletic figure in the world today, thrilled a crowd of more than 45,000 persons at the Coliseum last Saturday in the greatest track and field meet ever staged in America," a newspaper The Real American wrote about an exhibition run for Nurmi against eight Hopi Indians. But the real show of Nurmi happened in the Olympics which came a few weeks later. He mastered all the events from 1,500 to 5,000 and 10,000 metres in record timings. He ran every race at even pace and carried a stop watch in his hands to keep track. When he started his last round he invariable flung the watch to the inside field to win the race unhindered by any distraction.

Exactly 100 years back in the Paris Olympics in 1924, Nurmi won golds in 1,500, 3,000, 5,000 metres and two cross country events. Finnish officials did not enter him in the 10,000m since they thought he would burn himself out after these four days. But in Amsterdam in 1928 he won the gold in 10,000m. He had won a total of nine Olympic golds.

Zatopek and the importance of rigorous scientific practice

By the time Emil Zatopek the Czech arrived on the scene long distance running was a major sport with a clutch of 'Flying Finns' following Nurmu and runners from Switzerland and the rest of Europe. It was the early 50s, and Europe was emerging out of the brutalities of the war. Zatopek and his six brothers were often thrashed by their cruel father. His long-suffering mother complained that the geese that she grew at home were all thin and did not put on weight since Zatopek ran them around the house, as soon as the geese went to greet the children as they returned from school.

His boyhood was traumatic just as the phase after his running when he sided with the Prague Spring and was later sidelined by the Czech communist party. Through all that Zatopek ran like the wind, though his style of running wasn’t really orthodox.

Zatopek was the first athlete who taught us the importance of rigorous scientific practice. "Whoever surpasses my training will also break my records," he said.

In the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, Zatopek won three golds, for the 5000m, 10,000m and the marathon. It is now impossible for any marathoner to try any other track event considering the timing of marathon is close to two hours flat. Zatopek won the marathon gold in 2.23:3.2. His wife Dana had won the javelin throw event in Helsinki.

Zatopek was unorthodox in his style flailing his arms and the pain of each breath showing on his contorted face as he ran. As he neared the finish Zatopek was a flurry of arms and writhing, something no coach would allow now.

Once when he was put to hard labour by the Czech party, a lady recognised him standing on the side of the road breaking stones. She sent her son to him with some eatables. It took a long time for the Czechs to redeem him which happened during the last Tokyo Olympics when the team carried his picture on their jerseys.

As the Olympics in Paris happens for the second time in a hundred years it is these superhuman runners that stand uppermost in our minds, showing us what our bodies and minds are capable of. How much we stretch the limits of our own bodies can be seen from the fact that the marathon timing itself has been reduced by over 30 minutes in 100 years. In Paris if the weather is ideal, runners led by Eulid Kipchoge of Kenya will for the first time go under two hours.

Also, read other articles in our Paris Olympics special series

Paris: The city of words, wine, and everything nice

Milkha Singh and PT Usha: Immortal misses

Coming next week: High points of the Olympics over 100 years