Lennart Strand (13 June 1921—23 January 2004) was a Swedish middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 m. In this event, he won the national title in 1945–47, 1949 and 1950 and the European title in 1946, beating his compatriot Henry Eriksson. Two years later he finished second behind Eriksson at the 1948 Summer Olympics. In 1947, Strand equaled Gunder Hägg's 1500 m world record of 3:43.0 in Malmö.^[1][3][2]

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Lennart Strand

Lennart Strand at the Swedish National Championships in Stockholm, Sweden in July 1947
Personal information
Born	(1921-06-13)June 13, 1921 Malmö, Sweden
Died	January 23, 2004(2004-01-23) (aged 82) Malmö, Sweden
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	800 m, 1500 m
Club	MAI Malmö
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 m – 1:51.8 (1949) 1500 m – 3:43.0 (1947)[1][2]
Medal record Representing  Sweden Olympic Games 1948 London 1500 m European Championships 1946 Oslo 1500 m

Close

Strand retired from competitions in 1950, after abandoning the 1500 m final race at the European Championships. He then became an accomplished piano player,^[4] and released several jazz albums in 1952. He also worked as a sportswriter for the Sydsvenska Dagbladet newspaper. Strand died in 2004 due to injuries sustained in a traffic accident in late 2003.^[1]