Jānis Daliņš was a Latvian athlete who competed in race walking

Race walking

Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...

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Jānis Daliņš was the first Latvian to win a silver medal at the Olympic Games

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

, in the 50 km race walk at the 1932 Summer Olympics

1932 Summer Olympics

The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...

. He also won the European Championships

1934 European Championships in Athletics

The 1st European Athletics Championships were staged at the Stadio Comunale in Turin, Italy from 7 September to 9 September 1934 including only men's events. Women's championships were held separately in 1938, but men's and women's events were combined at one venue from 1946.The discussion on the...

 in the same distance in 1934 and set world records in several race walking distances. Daliņš' success made race walking one of the most popular athletics disciplines in Latvia, with two more Latvians winning Olympic medals: Adalberts Bubenko

Adalberts Bubenko

Adalberts Bubenko was a Latvian athlete, who competed mainly in the 50 kilometre walk.He competed for Latvia in the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin, Germany in the 50 kilometre walk where he won the bronze medal....

 at the 1936 Summer Olympics

1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...

 and Aigars Fadejevs

Aigars Fadejevs

Aigars Fadejevs is a Latvian athlete, competing in 20 km, 50 km walk and marathon running.Fadejevs has competed in 1996 Summer Olympics, finishing 6th in 20 km walk and in 2000 Summer Olympics, winning the silver medal in 50 km,2004 Olympic,50 km 11th,20 km 9th...

 at the 2000 Summer Olympics

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

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Daliņš is regarded as the best athlete of pre-World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Latvia. A phrase: "Ak, kaut man Daliņa kājas būtu" ("Oh, if only I had Dalins' legs", originally the title of a 1930s song) remains widely known in Latvia. Daliņš continues to remain a well known name in Latvia, with the stadium and a street in Valmiera retaining his name to this day.

In fleeing the Soviet Union's invasion of Latvia

Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940

The Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 refers, according to the European Court of Human Rights, the Government of Latvia, the State Department of the United States of America, and the European Union, to the military occupation of the Republic of Latvia by the Soviet Union ostensibly under the...

, Daliņš took his young family (wife Ella, sons Ivars and Jānis, daughter Rudite) to Australia, arriving on SS Skaugum in August 1949. He was initially placed in the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre

Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre

The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a camp set up for receiving and training migrants to Australia during the post World War II immigration boom. The camp was set on near the small town of Bonegilla in north east Victoria, between the Hume Dam and the city of Wodonga...

 in north east Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

. Jānis worked as a carpenter in the rural town of Benalla

Benalla, Victoria

Benalla is a city of just over 9,000 people located just off the Hume Freeway in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, about southwest of Wangaratta. Its Local Government Area is the Rural City of Benalla.- Overview :...

 building many homes in post-war Australia. After completing his contracted time working in Benalla, he moved his family to Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. There he raised his children, enjoyed his favourite hobby (fishing) and saw 7 grandchildren born.