Jonni Myyrä
Encyclopedia
Joonas "Jonni" Myyrä was a Finnish
athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw
. At his first Olympics, the 1912 Summer Olympics
, he took 8th place in the javelin.
At the 1920 Summer Olympics
, Myyrä was resting on the grass before the javelin competition as his left (non-throwing arm) was struck near the elbow by a stray warm-up throw by James Lincoln
. Despite considerable pain Myyrä managed to throw 60.63 during the first three rounds, enough to advance him to the evening session. Bone fragments were removed from his arm by a Belgian surgeon. On his fifth throw (second of the evening session) Myyrä threw a new Olympic record of 65.78 meters and clinched the gold. The next places were claimed by Urho Peltonen
, Paavo Johansson and Julius Saaristo
for a complete Finnish sweep.
Myyrä successfully defended his title at the 1924 Summer Olympics
, and then fled to the United States
due to his financial problems in Finland. He never returned to his home country and died in San Francisco in 1955.
He threw one officially ratified world record in the javelin, 66.10 meters in Stockholm
on August 24, 1919, and several other performances exceeding the official record at the time that were for various reasons not ratified, including his eventual personal best of 68.55 thrown in Richmond, Virginia
on September 27, 1925.
He played in several other events, especially the discus
. He took part in this event at the 1920 Olympics but failed to make the final. However, his discus results improved in the United States, culminating in an exhibition throw of 48.80 meters; this too was beyond the official world record at the time.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
. At his first Olympics, the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...
, he took 8th place in the javelin.
At the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
, Myyrä was resting on the grass before the javelin competition as his left (non-throwing arm) was struck near the elbow by a stray warm-up throw by James Lincoln
James Lincoln
James C. Lincoln, Jr. was an American track and field athlete who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics.He was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri and died in Vancouver, Washington....
. Despite considerable pain Myyrä managed to throw 60.63 during the first three rounds, enough to advance him to the evening session. Bone fragments were removed from his arm by a Belgian surgeon. On his fifth throw (second of the evening session) Myyrä threw a new Olympic record of 65.78 meters and clinched the gold. The next places were claimed by Urho Peltonen
Urho Peltonen
Urho Pellervo Peltonen was a Finnish athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw....
, Paavo Johansson and Julius Saaristo
Juho Saaristo
Julius Juho Saaristo was a Finnish track and field athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw....
for a complete Finnish sweep.
Myyrä successfully defended his title at the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
, and then fled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
due to his financial problems in Finland. He never returned to his home country and died in San Francisco in 1955.
He threw one officially ratified world record in the javelin, 66.10 meters in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
on August 24, 1919, and several other performances exceeding the official record at the time that were for various reasons not ratified, including his eventual personal best of 68.55 thrown in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
on September 27, 1925.
He played in several other events, especially the discus
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
. He took part in this event at the 1920 Olympics but failed to make the final. However, his discus results improved in the United States, culminating in an exhibition throw of 48.80 meters; this too was beyond the official world record at the time.