Editing Lauri Pihkala (section)

{{short description|Finnish sportsman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = 
| image          = Lauri Pihkala 2.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = 
| birth_name     = 
| fullname       = 
| nationality    = 
| birth_date     = 5 January 1888 
| birth_place    = [[Pihtipudas]], [[Grand Duchy of Finland]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date     = 20 May 1981 (aged 93) 
| death_place    = Helsinki, Finland
| height         = 179&nbsp;cm
| weight         = 79&nbsp;kg
| country        = 
| sport          = Athletics
| event = 800 m, [[high jump]], [[discus throw]]
| pb = 800 m – 1:58.1 (1911)<br>HJ – 1.75 m (1909)<br>DT – 31.40 m (1906)<ref name=sr>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417181424/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pi/lauri-pihkala-1.html Lauri Pihkala]. Sports Reference</ref>
| club           = HKV, Helsinki
| retired        = 
| olympics       = 
| highestranking = 
| show-medals    = yes
| medaltemplates =
}}
[[File:Tahko-Pihkala-1988.jpg|thumb|right|A 1988 postage stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala.]]

'''Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala''' (born '''Gummerus''', 5 January 1888 – 20 May 1981) was the inventor of [[pesäpallo]], the Finnish variant of [[baseball]].<ref name=hall/> He was born in the vicarage of [[Pihtipudas]], the son of the minister Alexander Gummerus.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lounamaa |first1=Esko |last2=Räisänen |first2=Pentti |title=The Village of Happy Men |date=2009 |publisher=Esko Lounamaa |isbn=952-91-3802-4 |edition=1st}}</ref> In 1969 he became one of the first persons to receive an honorary doctorate in Sport Sciences from the [[University of Jyväskylä]], together with president [[Urho Kekkonen]] and Professor Kaarina Kari.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/67748 |title=Lauri Pihkala |publisher=Olympedia |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref>