Pauli Nevala
Encyclopedia
Pauli Lauri Nevala (born 30 November 1940 in Pohja
) is a former track and field athlete
from Finland
who mainly competed in the men's javelin throw
.
His first major international meet was the 1962 European Athletics Championships in Belgrade
, where he went out in the qualification round. The next year saw him step up to the very upper echelon of javelin throwers with his new personal best (and national record) of 86.33 meters, thrown in Helsinki
on July 16, 1963. This was very close to the world record at the time (86.74).
In the Olympic year 1964 however, Nevala had major problems even breaking 80 meters and didn't enter the Tokyo Olympics as one of the favorites. Nevala cleared the Olympic qualification quite easily while the leading favorite and new world record holder, Terje Pedersen
of Norway
, was shockingly knocked out – the first man not to qualify. In the final Nevala threw confidently from the start, and took the lead with his fourth throw of 82.66, his best that year. This was eventually enough for a surprising victory, narrowly ahead of Gergely Kulcsár
.
As it turned out this didn't nudge Nevala's career back to an upwardly path, and his results stagnated. He still took a very respectable fourth place in the 1966 European Athletics Championships at Budapest. Nevala's attempt to defend his Olympic title at the 1968 Summer Olympics
was cut short in the qualification as his longest throw was controversially declared flat and he failed to advance to the final.
In 1969 Nevala's career had a major resurgence, as he finally broke his six-year-old personal best multiple times, culminating in a 91.40 thrown in his home town of Teuva
. At the 1969 European Championships Nevala took the silver medal behind Jānis Lūsis
of the Soviet Union
. Nevala has later openly attributed this resurgence to anabolic steroid
s, which were not yet forbidden at the time. The next year Nevala came very close to the world record (then 92.70 by fellow Finn Jorma Kinnunen
) when he threw 92.64 in Helsinki on September 6, 1970. His career was suddenly ended in April 1971 when, in his very first competition of the year at Abidjan
, Côte d'Ivoire
, he injured his shoulder so badly he could never throw seriously again.
Pohja
Pohja is a former municipality of Finland. It was consolidated with Ekenäs and Karis to form the new town of Raseborg in 2009.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The municipality had a population of 4,936 and covered a land area of...
) is a former track and field athlete
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
from Finland
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...
who mainly competed in the men's 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...
.
His first major international meet was the 1962 European Athletics Championships in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, where he went out in the qualification round. The next year saw him step up to the very upper echelon of javelin throwers with his new personal best (and national record) of 86.33 meters, thrown in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
on July 16, 1963. This was very close to the world record at the time (86.74).
In the Olympic year 1964 however, Nevala had major problems even breaking 80 meters and didn't enter the Tokyo Olympics as one of the favorites. Nevala cleared the Olympic qualification quite easily while the leading favorite and new world record holder, Terje Pedersen
Terje Pedersen
Terje Pedersen is a former Norwegian javelin thrower. He represented SK Vidar.At the 1960 Summer Olympics he progressed from the qualifying round, but did not start in the final. At the 1964 Summer Olympics he did not qualify for the final. He became Norwegian champion in the years 1960 and...
of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, was shockingly knocked out – the first man not to qualify. In the final Nevala threw confidently from the start, and took the lead with his fourth throw of 82.66, his best that year. This was eventually enough for a surprising victory, narrowly ahead of Gergely Kulcsár
Gergely Kulcsár
Gergely Kulcsár is a retired Hungarian athlete, who competed in the javelin throw. He won three Olympic medals during his career: two bronze and one silver.-References:...
.
As it turned out this didn't nudge Nevala's career back to an upwardly path, and his results stagnated. He still took a very respectable fourth place in the 1966 European Athletics Championships at Budapest. Nevala's attempt to defend his Olympic title at the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
was cut short in the qualification as his longest throw was controversially declared flat and he failed to advance to the final.
In 1969 Nevala's career had a major resurgence, as he finally broke his six-year-old personal best multiple times, culminating in a 91.40 thrown in his home town of Teuva
Teuva
Teuva is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The population of Teuva is and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water...
. At the 1969 European Championships Nevala took the silver medal behind Jānis Lūsis
Janis Lusis
Jānis Lūsis is a Latvian athlete who competed in javelin throw.Lūsis trained at Daugava Voluntary Sports Society and later at Armed Forces sports society...
of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Nevala has later openly attributed this resurgence to anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
s, which were not yet forbidden at the time. The next year Nevala came very close to the world record (then 92.70 by fellow Finn Jorma Kinnunen
Jorma Kinnunen
Jorma Kinnunen is a former athlete from Finland who competed mainly in the javelin throw.He competed for Finland in the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico in the javelin throw where he won the silver medal.Kinnunen is father of Kimmo Kinnunen, world champion of javelin...
) when he threw 92.64 in Helsinki on September 6, 1970. His career was suddenly ended in April 1971 when, in his very first competition of the year at Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, he injured his shoulder so badly he could never throw seriously again.