==Early life==Born as Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi, she claimed to be the niece of the Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi, who began setting long-distance running world records in 1921, the year before her birth. ###>== Biographie ==Maila est la nièce de l'athlète finlandais Paavo Nurmi (qui commença à battre les records de marathon en 1921, un an avant sa naissance).