Strength athletics in Finland refers to the participation of Finnish competitors and events in the field of

strength athletics Strength athletics, also known as Strongman competitions, is a sport which tests Strongman (strength athlete), competitors' strength in a variety of non-traditional ways. Some of the disciplines are similar to those in powerlifting and some powerl ...

in association with the

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decembe ...

History

Finland had enormous success on the international stage in the 1990s and early 2000s, having won 3

titles, and numerous major European and international competitions. In particular,

Jouko Ahola Jouko Ahola (born December 1, 1970) is a Finnish former strongman, powerlifter and actor. He is a two time World's Strongest Man winner, a two time Europe's Strongest Man winner, and is regarded as on ...

was the 1997 World's Strongest Man & 1999 World's Strongest Man champion,

Janne Virtanen Janne Virtanen (born 16 November 1969) is a Finnish former strongman who won the World's Strongest Man championship in 2000. He was runner-up in 1999 and finished third in 2001. His other championships include four-time Finland's Strongest Man ( ...

won the 2000 World's Strongest Man, and

Riku Kiri Riku Kiri (born April 5, 1963 in Kotka, Finland) is a Finnish former strongman and powerlifter, best known for competing in the World's Strongest Man competition, narrowly missing out on capturing the title on more than one occasion. He has been ...

was a 3 time consecutive

Europe's Strongest Man Europe's Strongest Man is an annual strength athletics competition which began in 1980. The event is held in various locations throughout Europe, and features exclusively European strongman competitors. Mariusz Pudzianowski holds the record for mos ...

champion from 1995-1997. In recent years Finland has struggled in the major international scene, having not made the finals of WSM since

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, and not having any major international victories.

National competitions

Finland's Strongest Man

Finland's Strongest Man is an annual

strongman In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or similar circus performers who performed feats of strength. More recently, strength athletics, also known as strongman competitions, have grown in popularity. Thes ...

held every year in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

since 1987.

Jón Páll Sigmarsson Jón Páll Sigmarsson (28 April 1960 – 16 January 1993) was an Icelandic strongman, powerlifter and bodybuilder who was the first man to win the World's Stronge ...

Bill Kazmaier William Kazmaier (born December 30, 1953) is an American former world champion powerlifter, world champion strongman and professional wrestler. During the 1970s and 1980s, he set numerous powerlifti ...

and Hjalti Arnason were guests in the competition but their placings were not included in the final results. Both

and Jani Illikainen hold the record with 4 wins,

Ilkka Nummisto Ilkka Nummisto (April 24, 1944 – June 29, 2019) was a Finnish sprint canoer who competed from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he earned his best finish of fifth in the K-4 1000 m event at Mexico City in 196 ...

and

hold 3 wins each as well.

Top 3 placings

*Results courtesy of David Horne's World of Grip: http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/strongmanresults.html

=Repeat champions

Regional competitions

Nordic Strongman Championships

The Nordic Strongman Championships consists of athletes from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

.Nordic Strongman Championships: Viking Loses His Title!
/ref>

References

{{Reflist Strongmen competitions

Sport in Finland