Lennart Strand

{{short description|Swedish middle-distance runner}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

|name=

|nickname=

|image=Lennart Strand 1947.jpg

|caption=Lennart Strand at the Swedish National Championships in Stockholm, Sweden in July 1947

|birth_date={{birth date|1921|6|13}}

|birth_place= Malmö, Sweden

|death_date = {{death date and age|2004|1|23|1921|6|13}}

|death_place = Malmö, Sweden

|height = {{convert|1.73|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|weight = {{convert|61|kg|lb|abbr=on}}

|sport=Athletics

|event= 800 m, 1500 m

|club=MAI Malmö

|pb= 800 m – 1:51.8 (1949)
1500 m – 3:43.0 (1947)[http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=6410&Gender=M&Page=Tournaments.asp&Tour=E&Year=1946&TF=T Lennart Strand]. trackfield.brinkster.net. Retrieved 6 October 2022.

|alma_mater=

|show-medals = yes

|medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{SWE}} }}

{{MedalOlympics}}

{{MedalSilver|1948 London|1500 m}}

{{MedalCompetition| European Championships}}

{{MedalGold|1946 Oslo|1500 m}}

}}

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.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171505/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/st/lennart-strand-1.html Lennart Strand]. sports-reference.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.[http://www.storagrabbar.se/grabbar_3.html Lennart Strand] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616084107/http://www.storagrabbar.se/grabbar_3.html|date=16 June 2015}}. storagrabbar.se. Retrieved 6 October 2022.

Strand retired from competitions in 1950, after abandoning the 1500 m final race at the European Championships. He then became an accomplished piano player,[https://sok.se/idrottare/idrottare/l/lennart-strand.html Lennart Strand]. Swedish Olympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2022. 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.