Gunnar Höckert

Olympic medal record
Men's athletics
Competitor for  Finland
	1936 Berlin	5000 metres

Gunnar Mikael Höckert (12 February 1910, Helsinki – 11 February 1940) was a Finnish athlete, winner of 5000 m at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Born in Helsinki to a wealthy family, Gunnar Höckert had only one great season in 1936.

The 5000 m final at the Berlin Olympics started in a good pace. The tempo was dictated by American Donald Lash, but he was overtaken by three Finns after 2,000 m. Soon the race turned into a battle between Höckert and defending Olympic Champion and world record holder Lauri Lehtinen. In the last lap Höckert overran Lehtinen to win in a world's season best time of 14:22.2.

Later on that season, on 16 September in Stockholm, Höckert ran a new world record in 3,000 m (8:14.8). A week later, on the same track, Höckert ran a new world record in 2 miles (8:57.4) and another week later, he equalled the Jules Ladoumègue's 2,000 m world record 5:21.8 in Malmö.

The rest of the Höckert's athletics career was hampered by rheumatism, and he never again achieved the times he had run in 1936. He went to the Winter War as a volunteer. 2nd lieutenant Gunnar Höckert was killed on the Karelian Isthmus just one day before his thirtieth birthday.^[1]

References

Records
Preceded by Henry Nielsen	Men's 3,000m World Record Holder 16 September 1936 – 14 August 1940	Succeeded by Henry Kälarne
Preceded by Don Lash	Men's Two Miles World Record Holder 24 September 1936 – 30 September 1937	Succeeded by Miklós Szabó