Kalle Virtapohja
Phantom Finn
Regular price
$32.50
Phantom Finn–The Contradictory Story of Paavo Nurmi in the Land of Dollars (2025), tells about the greatest runner of all time, Paavo Nurmi, and his 1925 North American tour, 53 races in America and Canada. In the book, I also tell about the Finnish immigrants, some of whom were gold miners, while others were running for gold. The great immigration wave ended in the 1920’s (50 Million Europeans, including 0,5 Million Finnish immigrants). The decade also saw a big shift in international sports, the rise of professionalism (American football, soccer, baseball, tennis, golf… and track). Paavo Nurmi knew about that trend quite well, and yet he managed to stay in the amateur ranks until the 1932 Olympic Games.
Written by Finnish Sports Historian Kalle Virtapohja
2025
paperback, 128 pages, 224 Black And White pictures, 6.5 (w) x 9.25 (h)
