Gunnar Mikael Höckert (12 February 1910 – 11 February 1940) was a Finnish runner, winner of the 5000 m race at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Born in Helsinki to a wealthy family, Gunnar Höckert had only one great season, in 1936. The 5000 m final at the Berlin Olympics started in a good pace. The tempo was dictated by American Donald Lash, but he was overtaken by three Finns after 2,000 m. Soon the race turned into a battle between Höckert and defending Olympic Champion and world record holder Lauri Lehtinen. In the last lap Höckert overran Lehtinen to win in a world's season best time of 14:22.2. In this same race Swedish Henry Jonsson got third place over Kohei Murakoso, the Japanese runner who was leading the race at the beginning.^[1]

Later on that season, on 16 September in Stockholm, Höckert ran a new world record in 3,000 m (8:14.8). A week later, on the same track, Höckert ran a new world record in 2 miles (8:57.4) and another week later, he equalled the Jules Ladoumegue's 2,000 m world record of 5:21.8 in Malmö.^[1]

The rest of Höckert's athletics career was hampered by rheumatism, and he never again achieved the times he had run in 1936. He went to the Winter War as a volunteer, progressing to 2nd lieutenant. He was killed during the Winter War in Johannes on the Karelian Isthmus, just one day before his thirtieth birthday.^[3][4]

• Media related to Gunnar Höckert at Wikimedia Commons
• Gunnar Höckert at Olympedia
• Gunnar Höckert at Olympics.com
• Gunnar Höckert at Olympiakomitea.fi (in Finnish)

Records
Preceded by Henry Nielsen	Men's 3,000m World Record Holder 16 September 1936 – 14 August 1940	Succeeded by Henry Kälarne
Preceded by Don Lash	Men's Two Miles World Record Holder 24 September 1936 – 30 September 1937	Succeeded by Miklós Szabó