Gunnar Höckert

Gunnar Mikael Höckert (February 12, 1910 – February 11, 1940) was a Finnish athlete, winner of 5,000 m at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

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

The 5,000 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 September 16 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 achieved the times ran in 1936. He went to the Winter War as a volunteer. Reserve Lieutenant Gunnar Höckert was killed on the Karelian Isthmus just one day before his thirtieth birthday. [Wallechinsky, David (2004). "The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics", Toronto: Sport Classic Books. ISBN 1-894963-34-2]

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