Aki Parviainen throwing in Paris 2003 (© Getty Images)
With no World championship medals last summer in any discipline for the first time in their history Finland, who will play host to the 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki in 2005, did not have much to celebrate in Paris.
Even the famous javelin tradition was at a relatively low ebb in the Stade de France despite individual performances of great merit from Mikaela Ingberg (4th women's final) and Aki Parviainen (5th men's final).
However, not all was gloom and doom as a remarkable medal podium sweep at the European Junior Championships was led by 2001 World Youth champion Teemu Wirkkala, who was joined by Tero Järvenpää and Antti Ruuskanen, a unique junior feat even by Finnish standards.
With 9 Olympic gold medals, 4 World championship titles and 5 European wins, Finland is the most successful nation in the history of javelin throwing. It is an athletics fact that has recently been recognised by a lucrative sponsorship between the Finnish Federation and food retailer SPAR, with the latter agreeing a sponsorship deal to back Finnish Javelin throwing which is worth a minimum of one million Euros – the largest single marketing agreement in the nation’s athletics history.
The deal covers the years 2004-2006 and aims to maximize Finland's athletics potential at the international level and includes very strict doping sanctions, but on the other hand it offers bonuses for success both in the sport and in anti-doping work. Around 20% of the total deal value is invested to support 7 javelin throwers, and the rest goes to other athletes.
This list of seven elite athletes of the new ‘Team Spar Javelin Club’ is of course headed by Aki Parviainen and Mikaela Ingberg. Parviainen was the 1999 World Champion, 2001 silver medallist and is the second longest thrower in the world all-time. Ingberg is the reigning double women’s European Championship and World Cup bronze medallist (1998/2002), and was also third at the 1995 World Championships.
Joining these two are Taina Kolkkala and Paula Huhtaniemi, both women’s World and European championship finalists. Kolkkala was the 1994 World Junior champion, and Huhtaniemi is the current women’s national record holder (64.90m, 2003).
To these four senior throwers, are added two of last year’s European Junior medallists Wirkkala and Järvenpää, and Tero Pitkämäki who was third at the 2003 European U23 Championships. All three men are already 80 metre throwers!
“All these throwers have a real chance to stand on the Olympic podium within the next 5 years. There is a huge amount of potential in the team,” said Mauri Auvinen, Finnish national javelin head coach.
Finnish Javelin medallists at Major championships
OLYMPIC GAMES
1912 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
Gold Julius Saaristo
(2-hand combined result) 109.42
Silver Väinö Siikaniemi
(2-hand combined result) 101.13
Silver Julius Saaristo
(normal competition) 58.66
Bronze Urho Peltonen
(2-hand combined result) 100.24
1920 ANTWERPEN, BELGIUM
Gold Jonni Myyrä 65.78
Silver Urho Peltonen 63.50
Bronze Paavo Johansson 63.09
1924 PARIS, FRANCE
Gold Jonni Myyrä 62.96
1932 LOS ANGELES, USA
Gold Matti Järvinen 72.71
Silver Matti Sippala 69.80
Bronze Eino Penttilä 68.70
1936 BERLIN, GERMANY
Silver Yrjö Nikkanen 70.77
Pronssi Kalervo Toivonen 70.72
1948 LONDON, GREAT BRITAIN
Gold Tapio Rautavaara 69.77
Silver (W) Kaisa Parviainen 43.79
1952 HELSINKI, FINLAND
Bronze Toivo Hyytiäinen 71.89
1964 TOKYO, JAPAN
Gold Pauli Nevala 82.66
1968 MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
Silver Jorma Kinnunen 88.58
1976 MONTREAL, CANADA
Silver Hannu Siitonen 87.92
1984 LOS ANGELES, USA
Gold Arto Härkönen 86.76
Silver (W) Tiina Lillak 69.00
1988 SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Gold Tapio Korjus 84.28
Bronze Seppo Räty 83.26
1992 BARCELONA, SPAIN
Silver Seppo Räty 86.60
1996 ATLANTA, USA
Gold (W) Heli Rantanen 67.94
Bronze Seppo Räty 86.98
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
1983 HELSINKI, FINLAND
Gold (W) Tiina Lillak 70.82
1987 ROME, ITALY
Gold Seppo Räty 83.54
1991 TOKYO, JAPAN
Gold Kimmo Kinnunen 90.82
Silver Seppo Räty 88.12
1993 STUTTGART, GERMANY
Silver Kimmo Kinnunen 84.78
1995 GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN
Bronze (W) Mikaela Ingberg 65.16
1999 SEVILLA, SPAIN
Gold Aki Parviainen 89.52
2001 EDMONTON, CANADA
Silver Aki Parviainen 91.31
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
1934 TORINO, ITALY
Gold Matti Järvinen 76.66
Silver Matti Sippala 69.97
1938 PARIS, FRANCE
Gold Matti Järvinen 76.87
Silver Yrjö Nikkanen 75.00
1946 OSLO, NORWAY
Silver Yrjö Nikkanen 67.50
Bronze Tapio Rautavaara 66.40
1950 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Gold Toivo Hyytiäinen 71.26
1954 BERN, SWITZERLAND
Bronze Soini Nikkinen 73.78
1969 ATHENS, GREECE
Silver Pauli Nevala 89.58
1974 ROME, ITALY
Gold Hannu Siitonen 89.58
1990 SPLIT, JUGOSLAVIA
Gold (W) Päivi Alafrantti 67.68
1994 HELSINKI, FINLAND
Silver Seppo Räty 82.90
1998 BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
Bronze (W) Mikaela Ingberg 64.92
2002 MÜNCHEN, GERMANY
Bronze (W) Mikaela Ingberg 63.50
