Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: Valmiera, Latvia
About Jānis Daliņš
- Janis Dalinš (5 November 1904 in Valmiera, Livonian Governorate – 11 June 1978 in Melbourne, Australia) was a Latvian athlete who competed in race walking. Janis Dalinš was the first Latvian to win a medal at the Olympic Games, he won silver in the 50 km race walk at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
- He also won the European Championships in the same distance in 1934 and set world records in several race walking distances.
- Dalinš' success made race walking one of the most popular athletics disciplines in Latvia, with two more Latvians winning Olympic medals: Adalberts Bubenko at the 1936 Summer Olympics and Aigars Fadejevs at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Dalinš is regarded as the best athlete of pre-World War II Latvia.
- A phrase: "Ak, kaut man Dalina kajas butu" ("Oh, if only I had Dalins' legs", originally the title of a 1930s song) remains widely known in Latvia.
- Dalinš remains a well-known name in Latvia, with the stadium and a street in Valmiera retaining his name.In fleeing the Soviet Union's invasion of Latvia, Dalinš took his young family (wife Ella, sons Ivars and Janis, daughter Rudite) to Australia, arriving on SS Skaugum in August 1949.
- He was initially placed in the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre in north east Victoria.
- Janis worked as a carpenter in the rural town of Benalla building many homes in post-war Australia.
- After completing his contracted time working in Benalla, he moved his family to Melbourne.
- There he raised his children, enjoyed his favourite hobby (fishing) and saw seven grandchildren born.
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See Also
- Famous People's Birthdays on 05 November, Latvia
- Famous People's Birthdays in November, Latvia
- Famous carpenter's Birthdays on 05 November, Latvia
- Famous carpenter's Birthdays in November, Latvia
- Famous athletics competitor's Birthdays on 05 November, Latvia
- Famous athletics competitor's Birthdays in November, Latvia