Matti Henrikki Järvinen (18 February 1909 – 22 July 1985) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wom ...

er. He won the Olympic gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics ahead of two other Finns, Matti Sippala and

Eino Penttilä Eino Penttilä (27 August 1906 – 24 November 1982) was a Finnish javelin thrower who won a bronze medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics, behind teammates Matti Järvinen and Matti Sippala. Career Penttlä was a Biathlon competitor who changed ...

, with a throw of 72.71 metres. Four of his other five throws would also have been enough to take gold. The three Finns did not take off their tracksuit trousers during the event. Besides his Olympic gold, Järvinen is remembered for his numerous world records. From 1930 to 1936, he broke the javelin throw world record a record ten times in a row. He also became the European champion in 1934, setting a new world record with 76.66 m, and defended his title successfully in 1938. In the 1936 Summer Olympics, Järvinen finished fifth. Järvinen continued throwing after World War II, recording a 71.70-metre throw in 1945. Järvinen was the son of

Verner Järvinen Venne "Verner" Järvinen (3 April 1870 – 31 January 1941) was a Finnish track and field athlete, who competed mostly in throwing events. He won the gold medal in the Greek-style discus in the 1906 Intercalated Games, and the bronze in the 1908 ...

, an Olympic bronze medalist in

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

. His brother Akilles Järvinen was a decathlon world record holder and two-time Olympic silver medalist. His other brother

Kalle Kalle is a masculine given name of North Germanic origin, a variation of Karl. In Sweden, people named Karl are commonly nicknamed Kalle. The name is also found in Finland and Estonia Notable people with the name include: Given name * Kalle An ...

was a shot putter and also an Olympian. The exact distance of his gold-winning throw, 72.71 metres, was used as the height of the

Helsinki Olympic Stadium The Helsinki Olympic Stadium ( fi, Helsingin Olympiastadion; sv, Helsingfors Olympiastadion), located in the Töölö district about from the centre of the Finnish capital Helsinki, is the largest stadium in the country, nowadays mainly used ...

in commemoration of his achievement.

World War II and after

In 1939 Järvinen, with his fellow javelin thrower Yrjö Nikkanen, served together on the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

, where they trained soldiers in throwing hand grenades.Free Europe – Volume 1 -1939 Page 168 "The world record javelin throwers Matti Jarvinen and Nikkanen are serving together on the Karelian Isthmus. They have adapted their style to throwing hand grenades and their battalion, trained by such champions, holds all the hand grenades ..." After the War he became a noted economic councillor.

World records

References

1909 births 1955 deaths Sportspeople from Tampere People from Häme Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish male javelin throwers Olympic athletes of Finland Olympic gold medalists for Finland Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics World record setters in athletics (track and field) European Athletics Championships medalists Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Finnish military personnel of World War II 20th-century Finnish people {{Finland-athletics-bio-stub