Evening star., 1925-02-02

Serious contenders for places G
had barely shaded Paavo's time for
sidered themselves real Olympic pos
All Abo knew the Nurmis. Paavos
father, a cabinetmaker. was one Of
the substantial citizens of the town,
and besides Paavo there were three
other children in the family-two
girls. one older and the other young
er than Paavo. and little Martti, the
baby of the lot.
Aboians. however. were at loss to
learn where the older boy gained his
feetness of foot. The father, possi-
bly, because of lack of opportunity or
incentive, never had disclosed inter
est or skill in any line of sport, nor
could athletic excellence be traced
farther back in the Nurmi line. AS
fishermen and farmers the Nurmis
were a sturdy race, but strength of
arm rather than speed OF limb had
been their outstanding physical quail
itY.
Some attributed Paavos feat as
ten-year- to strict adherence to
vegeta BILE diet, for the Nurmi family
were vegetarians and it was not until
his eighteenth birthday that Paavo
learned the taste and developed his
liking for meats.
He Makes Up His Mind.
tempt TO account for il. The amaze
ment he had seen on the faces of the
timers as he finished his first assault
upon a foot-racing record told him
he had accomplished a remarkable
thing. He made up his mind then and
there to become the greatest runner
In the world
Paavo received little outside en-
Couragement during the the next six
years Offcials of the Abo Crheilullitto
advised him against attempting to
follow the strenuous training and
competing stunts of the senior
athletes until he had attained full
strength and growth. They would
not consider his petitions to enter
the weekly meets. Boys of Paavo's
size and age had realized the futility
of attempting to match strides with
their fellow and Paavo, who loved
to run and believed he had an athletic
mission to fulfill, was forced to con-
tent himself with daily scampers
along the Abo thoroughfares or oyer
the fields and hills.
1t was in those early years that he
developed the custom of carrying a
watch-a cheap little timepiece in
those days-while he ran. Paavo's
opponent was the minute hand and
there was the real thrill of victory
when he reached a given point frac-
tion earlier than the time he had set
for the mark.
Films Score in 1912 Meet.
In the meantime two Olympic meets
had come and gone. There was the
1908 meet in London, which caught
the Firms not quite fully prepared for
strenuous international competition
and turned away without single
first place trophy. Then had fol-
lowed the 1912 games at Stockholm,
in which Paavo's countrymen, led by
Kolehmainen. Saaristo and Tiapale,
scored first places in six of the events,
second and third places in others, and
definitely brought their little nation
Finland has less population than
the city of New York-to the position
of serious contender for Olympic top
honors.
That latter accomplishment stirred
anew Paavo's ambition. But in these
wears he was not allowed to neglect
an occupation which would serve him
when his athletic days were done. He
continued in the Abo grammar
school until he was graduated at the
age of Is, and tnen served as sort or
an apprentice with an engineering
concern until he was IS.
That it seems is a custom in Fin
land. The boy upon completing his
is told by his parents, what trade or
business to learn, and serves three
wears as an apprentice. Then his
school and working records are sub
mitted to a government official, ana
the boy who shows the best record is
sent to a college which specializes
in the work he has followed.
Was Graduated When II.
Paavo picked craftsmanship, was
awarded a three-year scholarship in
the Abo Technical Institute and was
graduated a full-fedged mechanical
craftsman and engineer at 21.
1t was the year before he entered
the institute that Paavo engaged in
his first championship race-the 5000
meter run in the Finnish junior ma
tional championships at Helsingfors
in 1914.
Earlier in that year the Abo Ath-
Ietic Association-the Urheiluliitto-
had admitted him to membership. Its
oficials believed he had attained the
development necessary to make his
start in open competition. and Paavo
celebrated that event regularly each
week by winning one or more Sunday
races on the now much improved
track in his native town.
They were real victories, not hand
leap affairs. for Finlands athletic
officials disagree with A. A. U. au-
thorities as to the effectiveness of
handicap events in developing run
ners Every man must start from
scratch in Finnish races. and if q
chap fails to score a place it is his
job to improve himself until he is
q bile to do so.
Tomorrow; The First ChalIengers
Fall Behind.