Gunnar Höckert

Gunnar Mikael Höckert ( born February 12, 1910 in Helsinki, † February 11, 1940 in Karelia ) was a Finnish athlete and was 1936 Olympic champion in the 5000 meters.

His family was very wealthy and was a member of the influential Swedish minority. Had Höckert as athlete only just one successful season, namely 1936.

At the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 Höckert launched over 5000 meters. He started the race with a research pace. After two kilometers, the race turned into a duel between Höckert and Lauri Lehtinen, the Olympic champion in 1932 and world record holder. In the last round Höckert was able to overtake his countryman and won the race with a Jahresweltbestzeit ( 14:32,2 min).

On September 16, 1936 Höckert presented in Stockholm a new world record over 3000 meters on ( 8:14,8 min). One week later on the same track, a world record for 2 miles ( 8:57,4 min). Again, a week later he equaled the world record in Malmo over 2000 meters ( 5:21,8 min).

The rest of Höckerts career was less successful because he suffered from rheumatism. He never was able to reach the times that he had run in 1936. He volunteered for service in the Finnish army and fought as a reserve lieutenant in the Winter War against the Soviet Union. On the day before his 30th birthday, he fell in Karelia.