Matti Henrikki Järvinen (18 February 1909 – 22 July 1985) was a Finnish javelin thrower. He won the Olympic gold medal at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

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 The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-s ...

, 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, 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 The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

world record holder and two-time Olympic silver medalist. His other brother Kalle 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 Jouko Yrjö Nikkanen (31 December 1914 – 18 November 1985) was a Finnish javelin thrower, who won a silver medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics. His best throw of 70.77 meters was only one meter behind that of the gold medalist Gerhard Stöck, a ...

, 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