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Lauri Pihkala

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Name
  
Lauri Pihkala


Role
  
Baseball Player

Lauri Pihkala Tahko Pihkalan muistoa vaalitaan sunnuntain pespallo

Died
  
May 20, 1981, Helsinki, Finland

Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala (born Gummerus, 5 January 1888 – 20 May 1981) was the inventor of pesäpallo, the Finnish variant of baseball. 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.

Lauri Pihkala Elv arkisto Pespallo 90 v YLE Teema ylefi

Pihkala competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics and ranked 16th in the high jump. He also participated in the discus throw event but his result is unknown. At the 1912 Summer Olympics he was eliminated in the first round of the 800 m competition. In the 1910s he became the first Finnish professional coach in athletics, and also worked as a physical education instructor with the Finnish Army.

Lauri Pihkala Pespallolla kohotettiin suojeluskuntien sotataitoja

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

Lauri Pihkala Haloo min tll Harrastukset 19101929

During the Finnish Civil War he was responsible for propaganda in the White Guard flying unit "Devils of Kuhmoinen" of major Hans Kalm.

Lauri Pihkala 400m legendat

Pihkala was also a right-wing political activist. He supported eugenics as a means to improve the military prowess of the Finnish people.

References

Lauri Pihkala Wikipedia