Seppo Hovinen
Encyclopedia
Seppo Juhani Hovinen is a retired Finnish
javelin throw
er. A leading favorite in the 1976 Montréal Olympics
, he failed to deliver, finishing 7th.
in 1975. Resultwise though, his best year by far was 1976, which saw him winning his first Finnish championship
and throwing 90 meters or more in seemingly every competition, culminating in his personal best of 93.54 thrown in Helsinki
on June 23, 1976. This was very close to the world record, held at the time at 94.08 by Klaus Wolfermann
. Hovinen entered the 1976 Summer Olympics
as a leading favorite, together with Miklós Németh of Hungary
.
gold in the 1912 two hands competition
), this still remains the longest throw ever by a Finn at an Olympics. It was also the longest of the qualification, narrowly ahead of Németh.
Next day in the final however, Németh opened with a new world record of 94.58. Hovinen found himself completely unable to respond, and finished a very disappointing seventh with a lackluster mark of 84.26.
s (together with fellow Finns Markku Tuokko
and Asko Pesonen) at the 1977 European Cup
in Helsinki. He was initially given a lifetime ban by IAAF, but this was reduced on an appeal by the Finnish Athletics Association (SUL) and Hovinen became eligible to compete again on August 13, 1978, just in time to take part in the 1978 European Athletics Championships. He cleared the qualification with his first throw but failed again in the final, taking the middle spot as team Finland swept the last three places.
Hovinen never returned to his 1976 shape, though he won one more Finnish championship in 1981. He is married to Ulla Lundholm, the Finnish record holder in women's discus throw
; they are the parents of Niko Hovinen
.
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...
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...
er. A leading favorite in the 1976 Montréal Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
, he failed to deliver, finishing 7th.
Rise to elite
Hovinen exploded to international attention in the mid-70s and was ranked #1 in the world by Track & Field NewsTrack & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
in 1975. Resultwise though, his best year by far was 1976, which saw him winning his first Finnish championship
Finnish Championships in Athletics
The Finnish Championships in Athletics, which are known as Kalevan kisat in Finnish, were first held in Tampere in 1907. Since then, they have been held in a different location every year...
and throwing 90 meters or more in seemingly every competition, culminating in his personal best of 93.54 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 June 23, 1976. This was very close to the world record, held at the time at 94.08 by Klaus Wolfermann
Klaus Wolfermann
Klaus Wolfermann is a former West German javelin thrower; Wolfermann won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich and in 1973, he set a world record in the event....
. Hovinen entered the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
as a leading favorite, together with Miklós Németh of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
.
1976 Summer Olympics
Hovinen cleared the qualification easily, throwing 89.76 with his first throw. Though Finland has produced no less than seven Olympic gold medalists in the javelin (including Julius Saaristo'sJuho Saaristo
Julius Juho Saaristo was a Finnish track and field athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw....
gold in the 1912 two hands competition
Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's two handed javelin throw
The men's two handed javelin throw was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the only appearance of the event at the Olympics, along with the other two handed throws. The format of the event was such that each thrower threw...
), this still remains the longest throw ever by a Finn at an Olympics. It was also the longest of the qualification, narrowly ahead of Németh.
Next day in the final however, Németh opened with a new world record of 94.58. Hovinen found himself completely unable to respond, and finished a very disappointing seventh with a lackluster mark of 84.26.
1977 doping positive and further career
After winning another Finnish championship in 1977, Hovinen tested positive for anabolic steroidAnabolic 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 (together with fellow Finns Markku Tuokko
Markku Tuokko
Markku Tuokko is a retired Finnish discus thrower and shot putter.At the 1978 European Championships, Tuokko won the silver medal in discus with a result of 64.90 metres. At the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, he finished ninth. In Montreal 1976 he didn't make it past the qualifying round...
and Asko Pesonen) at the 1977 European Cup
European Cup (athletics)
The European Cup is a now defunct athletics competition, replaced by the European Team Championships from 2009 onwards. The Europa Cup saw most of the major nations of Europe compete. Originally known as the Bruno Zauli Cup, it first took place in Stuttgart and Kassel , Germany in 1965...
in Helsinki. He was initially given a lifetime ban by IAAF, but this was reduced on an appeal by the Finnish Athletics Association (SUL) and Hovinen became eligible to compete again on August 13, 1978, just in time to take part in the 1978 European Athletics Championships. He cleared the qualification with his first throw but failed again in the final, taking the middle spot as team Finland swept the last three places.
Hovinen never returned to his 1976 shape, though he won one more Finnish championship in 1981. He is married to Ulla Lundholm, the Finnish record holder in women's discus throw
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...
; they are the parents of Niko Hovinen
Niko Hovinen
Niko Hovinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the Pelicans of the SM-liiga.-Jokerit :...
.