Harri Larva

Who was Harri Larva?

Harry Edvin "Harri" Larva was a Finnish athlete who won the 1500 m race at the 1928 Summer Olympics. He never excelled in this event nationally and was the Finnish champion in the 800 m in 1928–1930 and 1934. Larva finished 10th in the 1500 m at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Larva was requested to change his last name in 1928 by Urho Kekkonen, then president of Finnish Athletics Union and later president of Finland, who thought that his birth name Lagerström did not sound Finnish enough.