Lasse Viren’s youngest son follows in his father’s
footsteps
Chris Turner for IAAF
29 May 2001 - The Finnish long distance running renaissance of the 1970's when the exploits of runners such as Vaatainen, Viren and Vasala revived memories of the countless "Flying Finns" of the pre-war years is now just a distant memory or is it?
Despite the generally dismal state of Finnish distance running during the last decade the famous names of the 1970's are being heard once again on the pine trails and athletics tracks of Finland as the offspring in particular the sons of some great past champions are making their own entry into athletics.
So far the two most notable new shoots to have sprouted from the old vintage vines are Janne Holmen (born 26.09.1977) and Samuli Vasala (born 29.11.1976).
Janne Holmen is the reigning Finnish 10,000 metres champion and made a 2:16 marathon debut in Rotterdam this April. Janne's mother is Nina Holmen who was 1974 European women's 3000 metres champion and his father/coach Rune Holmen came 12th in the 1971 European 5000m final.
Samuli Vasala is the nephew of Pekka Vasala the 1972 Olympic 1500m champion and has the same coach Kari Sinkkonen who guided his uncle to Olympic glory.
Samuli took sixth place in the 5000 metres at the 1998 European Championships but was unluckily side lined by injury last year when he broke a tendon in his foot prior to competing in the 1999 World Championships in Seville.
However, despite Vasala's come back from injury last Saturday (19th May) when he won the Finnish cross country title in Vehkalahti, it was the results from a low key 10km race on the very next day in the small village of Askola which really stirred Finnish memories. Finishing fifth in a time of 43.05 minutes was a thirteen year old boy by the name of Matti Viren and one place behind him (43.10) guiding his sons every step was his father Lasse the 1972 & 76 Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion.
Lasse Viren who is now a Finnish member of Parliament is married (to Paivi) and has two sons of whom Matti is the youngest. The eldest son Tuomas has never shown any serious interest in running. Matti like his father is a member of his village's club "Myrskylan Myrsky" which translates as "Storm of Stormy village". However such is the fame of his father, whether or not Matti's first competitive outing was anything more than just a harmless day out with dad, it is for certain that the whole of Finland will be eagerly watching his progress in future years.
It is a pressure of expectation that few people would wish to carry through their life and many older Finns will undoubtedly draw parallels with the attention that was similarly focused on the son of the greatest "Flying Finn" nine time Olympic champion Paavo Nurmi who by coincidence was also called Matti.
Matti was a very useful middle distance runner during the 1950's, who most notably finished 9th in the unique 1500 metres world record race of 1957 in which Olavi Salsola and Olavi Salonen jointly set a new world mark - though it stood for but a day.
However by unfair comparison with his father's exploits Matti Nurmi's running career was generally viewed as a disappointment and it is to be hoped that Matti Viren doesn't succumb to the same fate.
Selected results - (Club abbreviation in brackets)
ASKOLA 20.5.2001
Men, 10 km: 1. Vesa Erojärvi (TeivSt) 35.44, 2) Jarno Saarela (KerkkU) 37.48, 3) Ilkka Pihlajamäki (OrimJy) 37.58, 4) Vesa Arffman Ivalo (40.12), 5) Matti Virén (MyrskMy) 43.05, 6) Lasse Virén (MyrskMy) 43.10.
