Eino Pentti

American long-distance runner

Eino Iisakki Walter Pentti (October 18, 1906 – January 24, 1993) was an American long-distance runner. He represented the United States in the 10,000 meters at the 1932 and 1936 Summer Olympics.

Pentti placed second in the 10,000 meters at the 1932 United States Olympic Trials, qualifying for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles;[1] at the Olympics he failed to finish, due to being sick with fever, as did the two other Americans.[2]: 73 [3] He captured his first Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championship title in the 10,000 meters in 1934; he won the championship again in 1937 and 1938.[3][4] At the 1936 Olympic Trials Pentti placed second a hundred yards behind Don Lash, who set a new American record of 31:06.9.[5] He qualified for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he placed 16th.[3] In 1938 he returned to Berlin for the Germany - USA games and this time won the 10,000 meters race.

Pentti set his personal best for 10,000 meters, 30:54.6, in Helsinki on September 17, 1938; the time broke Lash's American best.[6]

Eino Pentti's life was colorful and filled with sports. He was born in Detroit[7] to Finnish emigrants, and had dual citizenship of both the US and Finland. He was schooled in Finland and that's where his love of long-distance running was cultivated, running for Tampereen Pyrinto sports club. At age 24, he returned to the US to stay. He quickly gained recognition as a long-distance runner. Besides being a well known Olympic Athlete, Eino Pentti was also a military man, and put his cross country skiing skills learned as a child in Finland to good use training U.S. Army recruits to cross country ski. He also became a licensed physiotherapist and worked as a well respected massage therapist in New York, mostly with the New York Athletic Club. His celebrity clientele including such famous actors as Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra and Al Pacino.[8]

References

  1. ^ Waters, William J. (June 13, 1932). "The Sport Tower". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, NY. p. 10. Retrieved December 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Hymans, Richard (2008). "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track & Field" (PDF). USA Track & Field. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 20, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Eino Pentti Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  4. ^ "USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions: Men's 10,000 m". USA Track & Field. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  5. ^ "Don Lash Sets American Mark In 10,000 Meters". Chicago Tribune. July 4, 1936. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  6. ^ "USA Records Progression: Men, 10000 m". Track and Field Statistics. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  7. ^ Johns, Walter (March 17, 1936). "Olympic Roll Call: Eino Pentti—10,000 Meters". The Evening Independent. Massillon, OH. p. 9. Retrieved December 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ "Orbituary". Helsingin Sanomat. February 2, 1993.
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US National Championship winners in men's 10,000-meter run
1876–1878
New York Athletic Club
  • 1876–79: Not held
1879–1888
NAAAA
  • 1880: James Gifford
  • 1881: W. C. Davies
  • 1882–83: Tom Delaney
  • 1884: Geo. Stonebridge
  • 1885: Peter Skillman
  • 1886–87: Edward Carter
  • 1888Note 1: Thomas Conneff
1888–1979
Amateur Athletic Union
1980–1992
The Athletics Congress
1993–onwards
USA Track & Field
Notes
  • Note 1: In 1888 both the NAAAA and the AAU held championships
  • OT: The 1920, 1928, 1932, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 championships incorporated the Olympic Trials, otherwise held as a discrete event.
  • 2020 OT: The 2020 Olympic Trials were delayed and held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Distance: Until 1924 the event was 5 miles; from 1925–27 and from 1929–31 it was over 6 miles.
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USA Championship winners in the men's 15K run
Distance was 10 miles from 1899 to 1932
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USA Championship winners in the men's 25K run
Distance was 15 miles from 1925 to 1932
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Qualification
  • 1932 United States Olympic trials (track and field)
Men's track
and road athletes
Men's field athletes
Women's track athletes
Women's field athletes
Non-competing relay pool members
Coaches
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Qualification
  • 1936 United States Olympic trials (track and field)
Men's track
and road athletes
Men's field athletes
Women's track athletes
Women's field athletes
Non-competing relay pool members
Coaches


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