Editing Lauri Pihkala

{{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>

== Athletics ==

{|class="wikitable" style=" text-align:center;"
|+ Lauri Pihkala at the Olympic Games
|-
!Games
!Event
!Rank
!Results
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3| [[1908 Summer Olympics]]
|[[Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's high jump|High jump]]
|16th
|{{convert|5|ft|6|in|cm}}
|align=left| Height was measured in inches. Source:<ref>{{cite book | title = The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary | last1 = Mallon | first1 = Bill | last2 = Buchanan | first2 = Ian | publisher = McFarland | location = Jefferson, North Carolina, United States | date = 2001 | page = [https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall_0/page/80 80] | isbn = 978-0-7864-0598-5 | url = https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall_0/page/80 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's discus throw|Discus throw]]
|12th–42nd
|unknown
|align=left| Source:<ref>{{cite book | title = The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary | last1 = Mallon | first1 = Bill | last2 = Buchanan | first2 = Ian | publisher = McFarland | location = Jefferson, North Carolina, United States | date = 2001 | page = [https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall_0/page/92 92] | isbn = 978-0-7864-0598-5 | url = https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall_0/page/92 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's shot put|Shot put]]
|colspan=2|Did not start
|align=left| Source:<ref>{{cite book | title = The 1908 Olympic Games: Results for All Competitors in All Events, With Commentary | last1 = Mallon | first1 = Bill | last2 = Buchanan | first2 = Ian | publisher = McFarland | location = Jefferson, North Carolina, United States | date = 2001 | page = [https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall_0/page/112 112, endnote 238] | isbn = 978-0-7864-0598-5 | url = https://archive.org/details/resultsofearlymo00mall_0/page/112 }}</ref>
|-
| [[1912 Summer Olympics]]
| [[Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics – Men's 800 metres|800 metres]], heats
|colspan=2| Did not finish
|align=left|
|}

In the 1910s, he became the first Finnish professional coach in athletics and also worked as a physical education instructor with the Finnish Army.<ref name=hall>[http://www.urheilunhalloffame.fi/pihkala-lauri/ Lauri Pihkala (1888-1981)]. Suomen urheilun Hall of Fame</ref>

Pihkala was known for being an avid sports fan, and he developed several outdoor games.

== Other ==

During the [[Finnish Civil War]], he was responsible for propaganda in the [[White Guard (Finland)|White Guard]] flying unit "''Devils of Kuhmoinen''" of major [[Hans Kalm]].

Pihkala's brother [[Martti Pihkala]] was a right-wing political activist. Lauri Pihkala didn't write any political texts in his publications. He tried to integrate the Finnish working class into society and hoped that sports could be one tool there.<ref name="virtapohja">{{cite book |title= Lauri Pihkala : Koko kansan Tahko |last= Virtapohja |first= Kalle |year= 2022 |publisher= Docendo |location= Helsinki |isbn= 978-952-382-200-9|pages= 84}}</ref>

Some writers have claimed that Pihkala took part in the [[Harmoinen sick room mass murder|massacre in Harmoinen village]] in March 1918.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Liukkonen |first=Marjo |title=Hennalan naismurhat 1918 |date=2018 |publisher=Vastapaino |isbn=978-951-768-584-9 |location=Tampere}}</ref> Others claim that while the murderers indeed belonged to Devils of Kuhmoinen, Pihkala was not present at the time of the massacre.<ref>Virtapohja, pp. 89–93.</ref>

Memorial of Pihkala by sculptor [[Nina Sailo]] was unveiled in 1988 on the south-east side of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hamhelsinki.fi/en/sculpture/tahko-pihkala-nina-sailo/ |title= Lauri Tahko Pihkala  |website=HAM |publisher=Helsinki Art Museum |access-date=17 March 2018 }}</ref>

Pihkala was a supporter of [[eugenics]] with the goal of strengthening Finland's military.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NotIzzyClarke |date=2020-05-05 |title=Forget Korean Baseball: Finland’s version of baseball, Pesäpallo, is the quarantine sport you never knew you needed |url=https://www.milehighhockey.com/2020/5/5/21248311/forget-korean-baseball-finlands-version-of-baseball-pesapallo-is-the-quarantine-sport-you-need |access-date=2024-01-15 |website=Mile High Hockey |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lauri Pihkala}}
*[http://375humanistia.helsinki.fi/en/humanists/lauri-tahko-pihkala Lauri Pihkala in 375 humanists 6.1.2015, Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki]
*[http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/ath06fim.html List of Finnish athletes 1906–1912]
*{{sports links}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pihkala, Lauri}}
[[Category:1888 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Pihtipudas]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Vaasa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland)]]
[[Category:Finnish baseball players]]
[[Category:Finnish male high jumpers]]
[[Category:Finnish male discus throwers]]
[[Category:Finnish male middle-distance runners]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for Finland]]
[[Category:People of the Finnish Civil War (White side)]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1908 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic male high jumpers]]
[[Category:Finnish eugenicists]]
[[Category:Finnish military officers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Central Finland]]