Ari Paunonen, Date of Birth, Place of Birth

Ari Paunonen

Finnish long-distance runner and middle-distance runner

Date of Birth: 10-Mar-1958

Place of Birth: Sulkava, Eastern Finland Regional State Administrative Agency, Finland

Profession: journalist, athletics competitor

Nationality: Finland

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Ari Paunonen (born 10 March 1958) is a Finnish male former middle- and long-distance runner who competed over distances from 800 metres up to 10,000 metres.
His best international performances at a major event were bronze at the 1977 European Cup and fifth at the 1983 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
He was also the 1500 m silver medallist at the Nordic Indoor Athletics Championships in 1986.His personal best time of 3:55.65 minutes for the mile run is a Finnish record.
He also set a European under-20 record of 7:43.20 minutes for the 3000 metres in 1977.
As a junior athlete he won back-to-back 1500 m titles at the European Athletics Junior Championships in 1975 and 1977, as well as a junior race bronze at the 1977 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
At national level he won a middle-distance double at the Finnish Athletics Championships in 1977, won a second 1500 m title in 1979 and took three short course cross country titles between 1977 and 1980.
He was also a four-time national indoor champion.Born in Sulkava, he later became editor of Juoksija, a Finnish sports and fitness magazine.
He married Alia Virkberg, also a former distance runner.