Lasse Viren – 10,000 meters 1972 Munich Olympics
The 10,000 meter final of the 1972 Munich Olympics showcased one of the greatest running performances in Olympic history.
Everyone thought the battle would be between Dave Bedford of Great Britain and Emiels Puttemans of Belgium. Both of them had broken the Olympic record in their qualifying heats.
At the halfway point, Bedford was in the lead. ottomans was in forth place followed by Lasse Viren, a 23 year old Finnish policeman. Suddenly, Viren tripped and fell.
“I don’t know what caused the accident,” said Viren. “My only thought was to get up as quickly as possible. I was lucky not to get trampled by the others.”
Viren lost more than 50 yards because of his fall – half a football field. However, he was able to catch up to the lead runners quickly. Amazingly, he took over the lead to win the Gold Medal.
Viren’s heroic victory brought honor to Finland, who had not won a Gold Medal in 36 years.
Lasse Viren
How about you?
What do you do when life knocks you down? Do you wallow in self pity or do you bounce up and get back into the fight. Winners get right back up so they don’t lose their momentum. Next time life knocks you down decide to be like Lasse Viren and astound the world.
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