Matti Ensio Nykänen (; 17 July 1963 – 4 February 2019)
was a Finnish
ski jumper
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...
who competed from 1981 to 1991. He is one of the most successful ski jumpers of all time,
["Matti Nykänen"](_blank)
IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based in L ...
. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
Boswell, Thomas (24 February 1988)
"Another Jump Begets Gold for Nykanen"
''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''. Fred Ryan
Frederick Joseph Ryan Jr. (born April 12, 1955) is an American media entrepreneur, political analyst, author, and lawyer who served as the publisher and chief executive officer of ''The Washington Post'' from 2014 to 2023. He was the president ...
. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
(24 June 1994)
"Sports People: Ski Jumping; Nykanen Gives Up Comeback and Retires"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes ''The New York Times'' and its associated publications such as ''The New York Times International Edition'' and other media properties. The New York Times Company's ...
. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
Davies, Lizzy (28 December 2009)
"Ski jump star suspected of trying to stab his wife"
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. Guardian Media Group
Guardian Media Group plc (GMG) is a British-based mass media company owning various media operations including ''The Guardian'', and formerly ''The Observer''. The group is wholly owned by the Scott Trust Limited, which exists to secure the fin ...
. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
Battersby, Kate (8 January 2010)
"Life still all downhill for ski legend Matti Nykanen"
''Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
''. Northern & Shell
Northern & Shell (holding company name Northern and Shell Network Ltd) is a British publishing group, founded in December 1974 and owned since then by Richard Desmond. Formerly a publisher of pornographic magazines including '' Penthouse'' and '' ...
. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
MacArthur, Paul J. (September–October 2011)
''Skiing Heritage Journal''
p. 29, at Google Books
Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical charac ...
. International Skiing History Association. Retrieved 4 March 2017. having won five
Winter Olympic medals (four gold), nine
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
medals (five gold), and 22 Finnish Championship medals (14 gold).
Most notably, he won three gold medals at the
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Calgary 1988 were a multi-sport event held from February 13 to 28, 1988, with Calgary, Calgary, Alberta as the main host city. This marks the m ...
, becoming, along with
Yvonne van Gennip of the Netherlands, the most medaled athlete that winter.
Nykänen is the only ski jumper in history to have won all five of the sport's major individual titles: a gold medal at the Winter Olympics (three times), the Ski Jumping World Championships (once), the
Ski Flying World Championships (once), four
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
overall titles, and the
Four Hills Tournament (twice). His four World Cup titles is an all-time male record shared with
Adam Małysz
Adam Henryk Małysz (; born 3 December 1977) is a Polish former ski jumper and rally driver. He competed in ski jumping from 1995 to 2011 and is one of the most successful athletes in the history of the sport. His many accomplishments include ...
. Nykänen remains the only male five-time
ski flying world record holder in history.
From the 1990s onwards, Nykänen's status as a celebrity was mainly fueled by his personal relationships, his career as a
pop singer, and various incidents often related to heavy use of alcohol and violent behaviour. He was sentenced to 26 months in prison following a stabbing incident in 2004, and again for 16 months following an aggravated assault on his wife in 2009.
Ski jumping career
For most of the 1980s, Nykänen and
Jens Weißflog of East Germany dominated the sport. Nykänen won gold and silver
at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. His 17.5-point gold medal victory was the largest margin of victory in Olympic ski jumping history at the time. He was also the first ever to win gold medals on both hills
at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.
In 1985 he flew 191 metres in
Planica
Planica () is an Alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hikin ...
, a world record that stood briefly until
Piotr Fijas (Poland) flew 194 metres, again in Planica, in 1987. His other achievements include a total of nine medals (five golds) at the
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
level. He also won a total of 46 World Cup competitions (only now topped by the current record-holder
Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austria) and won the overall title four times (also a record, currently shared with
Adam Małysz
Adam Henryk Małysz (; born 3 December 1977) is a Polish former ski jumper and rally driver. He competed in ski jumping from 1995 to 2011 and is one of the most successful athletes in the history of the sport. His many accomplishments include ...
Poland).
He won the prestigious
Four Hills Tournament twice. He competed in the
FIS Ski Flying World Championships
The FIS Ski Flying World Championships is a ski flying event organised by the International Ski Federation (FIS) since 1972 and held every two years.
Overview
The event takes place on hills much larger than ski jumping hills, with the K-point ...
five times and placed in the medals every time. Nykänen also won the ski jumping competition at the
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic.
History
It takes place in March and has been arranged every ...
twice (1982, 1985). In 1987, Nykänen was awarded the
Holmenkollen Medal (shared with
Hermann Weinbuch).
On 28 February 2008, he won the International Masters Championship for veteran ski jumpers.
The only one with five world records
On 16 March 1984, he set ski jumping world distance record on official training two times at 182 metres (597 ft). And on the next day at 185 metres (607 ft), all three in
Oberstdorf
Oberstdorf (Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Oberschdorf'') is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality and skiing and hiking town in Germany, located in the Allgäu region of the Bavarian Alps. It is the southernmost settlement in German ...
,
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
.
On 15 March 1985, he set two ski jumping world distance records on official training at 187 metres (614 ft) and at 191 metres (627 ft), both of them on
Velikanka bratov Gorišek in
Planica
Planica () is an Alpine valley in northwestern Slovenia, extending south from the border village of Rateče, not far from another well-known ski resort, Kranjska Gora. Further south, the valley extends into the Tamar Valley, a popular hikin ...
,
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
.
Olympic Games
Standings
World Cup
Standings
Wins
Ski jumping world records
He set five world records in total, the most of any ski jumper in history.
Personal life

Nykänen was married six times:
* Tiina Hassinen (1986–1988), one son
* Pia Hynninen (1989–1991), one daughter
* Sari Paanala (1996–1998)
(Nykänen changed his surname to Paanala during this marriage)
* Mervi Tapola (2001–2003, remarried 2004–2010)
* Pia Talonpoika (2014– his death)
Relationship with Mervi Tapola

Nykänen met millionaire “sausage heiress” Mervi Tapola (1954–2019) in 1999,
and they were married from 2001 to 2003.
[MTV3.fi]
Matti ja Mervi yhdessä kymmenen vuotta
/ref>
They got divorced in 2003, and remarried again in 2004. The marriage was tempestuous and gave rise to many well-publicised incidents: The first reported assault against Tapola occurred in June 2000, following a restraining order
A restraining order or protective order is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation often involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault.
Restraining and perso ...
that was imposed upon Nykänen. In 2004, Nykänen was handed a suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...
for assaulting Tapola again. Nykänen had already been accused of assaulting Tapola in 2001, but the charges were withdrawn because Tapola exercised her right to remain silent.[Satakunnan Kansa]
Matti Nykänen viilsi keittiöveitsellä Mervi Tapolaa
In September 2005, while on probation for another assault, Nykänen was re-arrested four days after his release for abusing his partner again. Nykänen was convicted and imprisoned for four months on 16 March 2006. Soon after his release, he stabbed a man in a pizza restaurant in Korpilahti. In the summer of 2009, Tapola (then Tapola-Nykänen) petitioned for divorce a 14th time, but cancelled it.
On Christmas Day 2009, Nykänen allegedly injured his wife with a knife and tried to throttle her with a bathrobe belt. He was charged for attempted manslaughter and held in custody by Tampere police, but was released on 28 December after charges were dropped for insufficient evidence. On 24 August 2010, Nykänen was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 16 months in prison[ and ordered to pay €5,000 in compensation to his wife for pain and emotional suffering and €3,000 for legal expenses. In August 2010, Tapola made a 15th request for divorce.
]
Assault incident
On 24 August 2004, Nykänen was arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
of a family friend after losing a finger pulling competition in Tottijärvi, Nokia. In October 2004, he was found guilty of aggravated assault, and sentenced to 26 months in prison.[ As it was a first offence, he was released in September 2005.
]
As an entertainer
When Nykänen's ski jumping career was drawing to a close, a group of businessmen proposed to make him a singer. His debut studio album Yllätysten yö was released in 1992 and sold over 25,000 copies. Nykänen became the second Olympic gold medalist after Tapio Rautavaara to be awarded a '' golden record'' in Finland. His next album ''Samurai'' (1993) was not as successful.
At the end of the 1990s, due to serious financial problems, Nykänen worked as a stripper in a Järvenpää
Järvenpää (; , ; ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Järvenpää is situated in the centre of the Uusimaa region in the immediate vicinity of Lake Tuusula. The population of Järvenpää is approximately ...
restaurant. The restaurateur was reproached for exploitation of Nykänen.
In 2002, Nykänen made a comeback as a singer and released the single "''Ehkä otin, ehkä en''" ("Maybe I took t maybe I didn't"). He also gave his name to a cider
Cider ( ) is an alcoholic beverage made from the Fermented drink, fermented Apple juice, juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom (particularly in the West Country) and Ireland. The United Kingdom has the world's highest ...
brand with the same advertisement slogan. In 2006 Nykänen released his third studio album ''Ehkä otin, ehkä en (Maybe I took it, maybe I didn't)''. During most of his musical career, Nykänen worked with professional musician Jussi Niemi. Nykänen toured Finland performing two to three times a week with the ''Samurai'' ensemble led by Niemi.
Many of Nykänen's singles were named after some (in)famous quotes by Nykänen, such as ''Elämä on laiffii'' ("Life is life"), ''Jokainen tsäänssi on mahdollisuus'' ("Every chance is a possibility"), and ''Ehkä otin, ehkä en''.
In November 2009, Nykänen began to present his own cooking web series '' Mattihan se sopan keitti (Matti cooked the soup)''.
ADHD diagnosis
In the early 2000s, Nykänen was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...
.
Death
Matti Nykänen died at his home in Lappeenranta
Lappeenranta (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Karelia. It is located in the southeastern interior of the country and in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lappeenranta is approximately , while the Lappeenranta sub-r ...
, shortly after midnight on 4 February 2019, from a sudden illness, at the age of 55. He had complained of dizziness and nausea earlier that night. He had been diagnosed with diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
less than three months earlier. The news of his death was widely reported by the media both in Finland and abroad, with many tributes also paid to him by fellow ski jumpers of his time. He was survived by his fifth wife and three children, two from previous relationships and one outside of marriage. In May 2019 Nykänen's sisters confirmed that the cause of death was pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormone
A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "se ...
and pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
.
In popular culture
*In 1988 DPR Korea issued a postage stamp depicting Nykänen in the flight during competition.
*In 2016, Swedish actor Edvin Endre portrayed Nykänen, in the British biographical sports film '' Eddie the Eagle''.
Discography
*'' Yllätysten yö'' (1992)
*''Samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
'' (1993)
*'' Ehkä otin, ehkä en'' (2006)
Biographies
*A film about the life of Nykänen, simply entitled '' Matti'', was released in 2006 with Finnish actor Jasper Pääkkönen cast as Nykänen. The movie focused on Nykänen's exploits beyond ski jumping.
Books
*Matti Nykänen, Päivi Ainasoja and Manu Syrjänen: ''Mattihan se sopan keitti'' (2007)
*Juha-Veli Jokinen: ''Missä me ollaan ja oonko mäkin siellä'' (2007)
*Juha-Veli Jokinen: ''Elämä on laiffii'' (2006)
*Kai Merilä: ''Matin ja minun rankka reissu'' (2005)
*Egon Theiner: ''Grüsse aus der Hölle'' (2004) (the English version of the book ''Greetings from Hell'' was published in January 2006)
*Antero Kujala: ''Voittohyppy'' (1999)
*Antti Arve: ''Matti Nykänen Maailman paras'' (1988)
*Kari Kyheröinen and Hannu Miettinen: ''Takalaudasta täysillä: Matti Nykäsen tie maailmanhuipulle'' (1984)
* Juha-Veli Jokinen: ''Myötä- ja vastamäessä'' (2010)
See also
* Matti Pulli
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nykanen, Matti
1963 births
2019 deaths
Sportspeople from Jyväskylä
Skiers from Central Finland
Finnish erotic dancers
Finnish pop singers
Finnish male ski jumpers
Holmenkollen medalists
Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners
Olympic ski jumpers for Finland
Olympic gold medalists for Finland
Olympic silver medalists for Finland
People convicted of assault
Ski jumpers at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Ski jumpers at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Olympic medalists in ski jumping
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in ski jumping
Medalists at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1988 Winter Olympics
World record setters in ski flying
Deaths from pneumonia in Finland
Deaths from pancreatitis
20th-century Finnish sportsmen
People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Sportspeople convicted of crimes