Yrjö Nikkanen
Encyclopedia
Jouko Yrjö Nikkanen (December 31, 1914 in Kanneljärvi – November 18, 1985 in Suoniemi) was a Finnish
athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw
.
Nikkanen represented Finland at the 1936 Summer Olympics
in Berlin
; throwing the javelin 70.77 meters to win a silver medal
. So keen was the competition, that Nikkanen's mark fell only one meter behind Germany
's gold medalist Gerhard Stöck
- and just five centimeters ahead of fellow Finn, Kalervo Toivonen
.
On August 28, 1938, Nikkanen established a World Record in the javelin throw of 77.86 meters; less than two months later, on October 10th - Yrjö Nikkanen had improved his record to 78.70. One of the most durable standards in the history of javelin throwing; Nikkanen's World Record was not bettered until August 8, 1953 - when America's Bud Held
launched the spear 80.40 meters.
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...
.
Nikkanen represented Finland at the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; throwing the javelin 70.77 meters to win a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
. So keen was the competition, that Nikkanen's mark fell only one meter behind Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's gold medalist Gerhard Stöck
Gerhard Stöck
Gerhard Stöck was a German athlete who competed mainly in the shot put and javelin throw.Gerhard Stöck represented Germany at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, earning a bronze medal in the shot put and a come-from-behind gold medal in the javelin throw.In the shot put, Stöck was out performed...
- and just five centimeters ahead of fellow Finn, Kalervo Toivonen
Kalervo Toivonen
Kaarlo Kalervo Toivonen was a Finnish athlete who mainly competed in the men's javelin throw during his career....
.
On August 28, 1938, Nikkanen established a World Record in the javelin throw of 77.86 meters; less than two months later, on October 10th - Yrjö Nikkanen had improved his record to 78.70. One of the most durable standards in the history of javelin throwing; Nikkanen's World Record was not bettered until August 8, 1953 - when America's Bud Held
Bud Held
Franklin Wesley Held is an American athlete who competed primarily in the javelin.-College career:...
launched the spear 80.40 meters.