Matti Nykänen
Encyclopedia
Matti Ensio Nykänen (born 17 July 1963; Jyväskylä
, Finland) is a Finnish
former ski jumper
who won five Olympic medals (four gold), nine World Championships medals (five gold) and 22 Finnish Championships medals (13 gold). Most notably, Nykänen won three gold medals at the 1988 Winter Olympics
, becoming, along with Yvonne van Gennip
of the Netherlands, the most successful athlete there. Nykänen is the only ski jumper in history to have won all five of the sport's major competitions; gold medal in the Olympic Games (three times), World Championships
(once) and Ski flying World Championships (once), and finished first in the overall World Cup
(four times) and Four Hills Tournament
(twice).
Since the 1990s, his status as a celebrity has mainly been fueled, not by his sporting achievements, but instead by his colourful personal relationships, his career as a singer, and various incidents often related to heavy use of alcohol and violent behaviour. He was sentenced to jail for 26 months following a stabbing incident in 2004, and again for 16 months after aggravated assault on his wife in 2009.
in Sarajevo. His 17.5 point gold medal victory was the largest margin of victory in Olympic ski jumping at the time. He was also the first ever to win gold medals on both hills at the 1988 Winter Olympics
in Calgary
. In 1986 he flew 191 metres in Planica
, 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
level. He also won a total of 46 World Cup competitions (more than any other ski jumper) and won the overall title four times (also a record, currently shared with Adam Małysz POL). He won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament
twice. He competed in the FIS Ski Flying World Championships five times and placed in the medals every time. Nykänen also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival
twice (1982, 1987). In 1987, Nykänen was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal
(shared with Hermann Weinbuch
).
On 28 February 2008, he won the International Masters Championship, the world title for veterans.
They were divorced in 2003, and remarried in 2004. This marriage was tempestuous and gave rise to many well-publicised incidents: The first reported assault against Tapola occurred in June 2000, following which a restraining order
was imposed upon Nykänen. In 2004, Nykänen was handed a suspended sentence
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.
In September 2005, while on probation for another assault, Nykänen was re-arrested four days after his release for again abusing his partner. Nykänen was convicted again and imprisoned for four months on 16 March 2006; Soon after that 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 jail and ordered to pay 5,000 euros in compensation to his wife for pain and emotional suffering, and 3,000 euros for legal expenses. In August 2010 Tapola made a 15th request for divorce.
of a family friend after losing a finger pulling competition in Tottijärvi, Nokia. He was found guilty of aggravated assault and sentenced to a 26-month jail term in October 2004. As it was a first offence, he was released from jail in September 2005.
to sell a golden record
in Finland. The 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
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". He also gave his name to a cider
brand with the same advertisement slogan. In 2006 Nykänen released his third studio album Ehkä otin, ehkä en. Most of his musical career Nykänen has worked with professional musician Jussi Niemi. Nykänen has toured Finland performing 2 to 3 times a week with the Samurai ensemble led by Niemi.
In November 2009 Nykänen began to present his own cooking web series Mattihan se sopan keitti
.
.
Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish Lakeland, north-east of Tampere and north of Helsinki, on northern coast of lake Päijänne. The city has been continuously one of the most rapidly growing cities in Finland since World War II. The city is surrounded...
, Finland) is a Finnish
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...
former ski jumper
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
who won five Olympic medals (four gold), nine World Championships medals (five gold) and 22 Finnish Championships medals (13 gold). Most notably, Nykänen won three gold medals at the 1988 Winter Olympics
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
, becoming, along with Yvonne van Gennip
Yvonne van Gennip
Yvonne Maria van Gennip was one of the most successful female Dutch all-round speed skaters. Her main success dates from the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where she surprisingly won three gold medals...
of the Netherlands, the most successful athlete there. Nykänen is the only ski jumper in history to have won all five of the sport's major competitions; gold medal in the Olympic Games (three times), World Championships
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
(once) and Ski flying World Championships (once), and finished first in the overall World Cup
Ski jumping World Cup
The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup is a ski jumping tournament held yearly by the International Ski Federation since 1979–80 season.- World Cup points :...
(four times) and Four Hills Tournament
Four Hills Tournament
The Four Hills Tournament is composed of four Ski Jumping World Cup events and has taken place in Germany and Austria each year since 1952.The Four Hills Tournament champion is the one who gets the most points over the four events...
(twice).
Since the 1990s, his status as a celebrity has mainly been fueled, not by his sporting achievements, but instead by his colourful personal relationships, his career as a singer, and various incidents often related to heavy use of alcohol and violent behaviour. He was sentenced to jail for 26 months following a stabbing incident in 2004, and again for 16 months after 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 OlympicsSki jumping at the 1984 Winter Olympics
-Large hill:February 18, 1984-Normal hill:February 12, 1984-References:*...
in Sarajevo. His 17.5 point gold medal victory was the largest margin of victory in Olympic ski jumping at the time. He was also the first ever to win gold medals on both hills at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Ski jumping at the 1988 Winter Olympics
-Large hill:February 23, 1988-Normal hill:-Team large hill:February 24, 1988-References:*...
in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
. In 1986 he flew 191 metres in Planica
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 hiking destination in Triglav National Park.Planica is famous for...
, a world record that stood briefly until Piotr Fijas
Piotr Fijas
Piotr Fijas was a Polish ski jumper who competed from 1979 to 1988.He won a bronze medal at the FIS Ski-Flying World Championships 1979 in Planica, Yugoslavia . Fijas also finished seventh in the individual normal hill at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo...
(Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) flew 194 metres, again in Planica, in 1987. His other achievements include a total of nine medals (five golds) at the World Championship
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships have been held in various numbers and types of events since 1925 for men and since 1954 for women. Championship events include nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and nordic combined...
level. He also won a total of 46 World Cup competitions (more than any other ski jumper) and won the overall title four times (also a record, currently shared with Adam Małysz POL). He won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament
Four Hills Tournament
The Four Hills Tournament is composed of four Ski Jumping World Cup events and has taken place in Germany and Austria each year since 1952.The Four Hills Tournament champion is the one who gets the most points over the four events...
twice. He competed in the FIS Ski Flying World Championships five times and placed in the medals every time. Nykänen also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival
Holmenkollen ski festival
The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. It takes place in March and has been arranged every year since 1892, except for 1898 and during World War II...
twice (1982, 1987). In 1987, Nykänen was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal
Holmenkollen medal
The Holmenkollen medal is Norwegian skiing's highest award for competitors. It signifies top placings in international championships and other international events, including the Holmenkollen events....
(shared with Hermann Weinbuch
Hermann Weinbuch
Hermann Weinbuch is a former West German nordic combined skier who won four medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships during the 1980s...
).
On 28 February 2008, he won the International Masters Championship, the world title for veterans.
Personal life
Nykänen has been married several 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)
Relationship with Mervi Tapola
Nykänen met millionaire sausage heiress Mervi Tapola in 1999, and they were married from 2001 to 2003.They were divorced in 2003, and remarried in 2004. This marriage was tempestuous and gave rise to many well-publicised incidents: The first reported assault against Tapola occurred in June 2000, following which a restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
was imposed upon Nykänen. In 2004, Nykänen was handed a suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
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.
In September 2005, while on probation for another assault, Nykänen was re-arrested four days after his release for again abusing his partner. Nykänen was convicted again and imprisoned for four months on 16 March 2006; Soon after that he stabbed a man in a pizza restaurant in Korpilahti
Korpilahti
Korpilahti is a former municipality of Finland. Together with Jyväskylän maalaiskunta, Korpilahti was consolidated with Jyväskylä on January 1, 2009....
. 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 jail and ordered to pay 5,000 euros in compensation to his wife for pain and emotional suffering, and 3,000 euros for legal expenses. In August 2010 Tapola made a 15th request for divorce.
Assault incident
On 24 August 2004, Matti Nykänen was arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
of a family friend after losing a finger pulling competition in Tottijärvi, Nokia. He was found guilty of aggravated assault and sentenced to a 26-month jail term in October 2004. As it was a first offence, he was released from jail 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 first album Yllätysten yö was released in 1992 and sold over 25,000 copies. Nykänen became the second Olympic gold medalist after Tapio RautavaaraTapio Rautavaara
Kaj Tapio Rautavaara was a Finnish athlete, singer and movie actor.-Early life:...
to sell a golden record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in Finland. The 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
Järvenpää is a town and municipality of Finland.-History:Järvenpää was separated from its parent community Tuusula in 1951. Järvenpää was granted the status of a market town after the separation. Neighbouring districts Kellokoski and Nummenkylä were not added to the municipality of Järvenpää and...
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". He also gave his name to a cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
brand with the same advertisement slogan. In 2006 Nykänen released his third studio album Ehkä otin, ehkä en. Most of his musical career Nykänen has worked with professional musician Jussi Niemi. Nykänen has toured Finland performing 2 to 3 times a week with the Samurai ensemble led by Niemi.
In November 2009 Nykänen began to present his own cooking web series Mattihan se sopan keitti
Mattihan se sopan keitti
Mattihan se sopan keitti is a Finnish cookery web television series presented by ski jumping legend Matti Nykänen. New webisodes of the series are aired every Tuesday and Friday on Sub TV channel's web site...
.
Discography
- Yllätysten yöYllätysten yöYllätysten yö is the debut album by Matti Nykänen released in 1992.-Track listing:#"Topless"#"Samaa nauhaa"#"V-tyyli"#"Mennään tanssimaan"#"Yllätysten yö"#"Kingi"#"Pidä varas"#"Jos sä haluut"...
(1992) - Samurai (1993)
- Ehkä otin, ehkä enEhkä otin, ehkä enEhkä otin, ehkä en is the third album by Matti Nykänen. It was released in 2006.-Track listing:# "Ehkä otin, ehkä en" – 3.22# "Sydän villisti lyö" – 3.41# "Kierros kaikille" – 4.00# "Tää on mun elämää" – 3.24...
(2006)
Biographies
- A movie about the life of Matti Nykänen simply called MattiMatti: Hell Is for HeroesMatti: Hell Is for Heroes is a 2006 Finnish biographical film about Finnish skijumper Matti Nykänen. The film was directed by Aleksi Mäkelä and written by Marko Leino...
was released in 2006, with Finnish actor Jasper PääkkönenJasper PääkkönenJasper Pääkkönen is a Finnish film actor who has appeared and starred in over 15 films. According to a calculation published by Finnish tabloid IltaSanomat, Pääkkönen is "the most profitable film actor in Finland" for having starred in numerous box office hits during his career...
cast as Nykänen. The movie concentrated on Nykänen's exploits beyond the ski-jumping hills.
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)
Quotes
Nykänen's (mostly unintentionally) humorous answers to interviewers or talk-show hosts and other "aphorisms" are extreme forms of yogiisms. They have become extremely popular sayings in FinlandFinland
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...
.
Cultural references
- In 1988 DPR Korea issued a postage stampPostage stampA postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
depicting Matti Nykänen in the flight during competition.
Norwegian
- Holmenkollen medalists - click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file
- Holmenkollen winners since 1892 - click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file