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Ritola Begins to Reach for the Top of the World
Ritola Begins to Reach for the Top of the World
Fast 4M in New York
Fast 4M in New York
22nd Regiment Armory, New York, NY, January 21, 1923
During his teenage years, carpenter Ville Ritola moved from Peräseinäjoki, Finland, to America, where he worked by day on the Rockaway Point breakwater in New York in 1922. Despite his full-time job, Ritola ended his 1922 season by winning the U.S. championships in the 10-mile run and cross-country. As the 1923 indoor season approached, he was uncertain about his performance, having skipped the 1922 indoor circuit and lacking experience on wooden tracks.
Ritola, however, proved his fitness in late January 1923 in New York. Running at world-class pace for the first time, he completed four miles (6,437 meters) in 19:27.8. The result underscored his prowess as it bettered the four-mile split from Paavo Nurmi’s 10,000-meter world record in Stockholm in 1921 by almost two seconds.
Interest Awakens in Finland
Interest Awakens in Finland
Ritola’s feats began to receive increased attention in Finland, with notable coverage in the Suomen Urheilulehti sports magazine and the South Ostrobothnian newspaper Ilkka. John Rantamäki, Ilkka’s correspondent in America, declared in an enthusiastic report:
“Ville Ritola has already achieved numerous championships in America and is recognized as one of the world’s best runners. His home district, Ostrobothnia, and all of Finland can be proud of him.”
Urheilulehti hinted at greater things to come:
“What might we hear next, given a little more time?”
Newspaper Stories
Newspaper Stories
American Indoor Championships: Ray Defeats Ritola
American Indoor Championships: Ray Defeats Ritola
174th Regiment Armory, Buffalo, NY, February 17, 1923
Ville Ritola met his toughest rival, Chicago chauffeur Joie Ray, at the U.S. indoor championships in Buffalo. Their head-to-head results earlier in February were tied 1–1, though both races—two miles (3,219 meters) and 1¾ miles (2816 metres)—had been shorter than Ritola’s preferred distances.
In Buffalo’s two-mile event, Ray bested Ritola, leaving fans eager for their three-mile (4,928 meters) showdown at the end of the month.
Results
Results
1–4 (Spalding's Athletic Almanac)
Newspaper Stories
Newspaper Stories
Ritola Sets Unofficial Indoor World Record, "Audience Goes Wild"
Ritola Sets Unofficial Indoor World Record, "Audience Goes Wild"
New York, NY, USA, February 28, 1923
Ville Ritola ran three miles in an unofficial world indoor record time of 14:15.8 at his home track on the last day of February, which corresponds to a mechanically calculated time of 14:49.7 for 5,000 meters. This earned him third place in the world rankings. Paavo Nurmi had recorded a three-mile split of 14:08 during his 5,000-meter world record run the previous summer.
In the race, America's own son, Joie Ray, pulled a wicked pace, but the Peräseinäjoki wolf, Ritola's nickname, followed and took the lead in the homestretch. Ten thousand spectators roared in the stands. The Finnish language newspaper in the Big Apple, New Yorkin Uutiset, described the atmosphere:
"The competition was the most sensational that the New York sporting world has ever seen. The audience went completely wild."
Ritola later recalled in the 1970s how the crowd’s cheers and paper-throwing weren’t just for his victory but for Ray’s defeat, given Ray’s reputation for arrogance.
Despite good runs of Ritola, a Finnish Sports Magazine titled Urheilulehti did not yet elevate him to the ranks of great runners alongside Hannes Kolehmainen and Paavo Nurmi in its June 1923 issue. Not yet.
Newspaper stories
Newspaper stories
Photo: New Yorkin Uutiset, reprinted in Uusi Suomi, March 23, 1923.
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