10,000 metres, Men

The three Finns in the race, Ilmari Salminen, Arvo Askola, and Volmari Iso-Hollo, ran a team race. The only runner to stay with them was Japan’s Kohei Murakoso, who led the year lists going into the Olympics. At the bell, Murakoso was dropped and the Finns contested the medals amongst themselves, with Salminen winning the gold. It remains thru 2004 the only medal sweep in this event. In 1937 Ilmari Saminen ran a world record 30:05.6, removing from the record books the final world record set by the legendary Paavo Nurmi.