Finland's Javelin youngsters are snapping at Parviainen's heels

There looks about to be a changing of the guard at the top of Finland’s deep international Javelin throwing ranks.

‘The Javelin Country’ had a relatively poor year in 2003, Aki Parviainen’s fifth place in the men’s World Championships final, and Mikaela Ingberg’s 4th place in the women’s division in Paris was it's best showing.

However, in term of the men’s throwers, 13 athletes in the Top 100 of the 2003 IAAF World Rankings still made this Nordic country which will play host to the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki by far the strongest Javelin nation in the world.

European Junior medal sweep

The biggest success story in 2003 was the Finns' gold, silver and bronze sweep at the European Junior Championships which were contested last summer on home soil in Tampere. The podium finish of Teemu Wirkkala, Tero Järvenpää and Antti Ruuskanen at the Juniors, and the bronze taken by Tero Pitkämäki at the European Under 23 Championships which also took place last summer in Bydgoszcz, Poland, shone out bright for Finland's throwing future.

The progression of the new generation has been so fast that Finland’s present star, 1999 World champion Aki Parviainen who has been held back after two years of niggling injury, must now watch his step, as these and other youngsters are truly snapping at his heels.

Parviainen - Ace card in Athens

Finns have dominated the Olympic history of Javelin throwing and Parviainen remains their ace card for Athens. The 29 year-old who is the second longest thrower of all-time (93.09m, 1999) came back after a shoulder operation in summer 2002, but then had problems with his knees last summer. After placing 5th in Paris he had successful knee and elbow operations.

Jarmo Hirvonen was the man who made Parviainen a world star and he has returned as personal coach. Leo Pusa, who took Tapio Korjus and Heli Rantanen to Olympic gold, coached Parviainen in 2001 and 2002, but their co-operation finished suddenly just before the beginning of the 2003 season.

Recently Parviainen did not join the rest of the Finnish international level athletes who were at a training camp in Athens during the end of April and early May. He felt some pain in his hip and decided to stay and train in Finland, and the latest news tells that he is in promising form.

“Aki should have lots of full speed throws before the season begins. If he can rise to his maximum power in his legs anything is possible in terms of distance,” confirms Mauri Auvinen, Finland’s head throws coach.

Parviainen has promised to open his season in his home town Joensuu in Eastern Finland on 6 June. That competition will be Finland´s trial for the European Cup 1st League and that means all the best throwers should also be there.

Parviainen, who was also the 2001 World silver medallist (91.31m) knows that 2004 could be his last chance to win at the Olympic Games. In Atlanta 1996 he was out injured and in Sydney 2000 he became 5th, which was quite a big disappointment to all Finns especially as he was then reigning World champion.

Pitkämäki started as a skier

Presently of the younger generation it is Tero Pitkämäki, 22, who is the most advanced. He started his sports career as a cross country skier but as with most Finnish boys, the flight of the javelin fascinated him a lot and he turned instead to throwing.

At the age of 16, Pitkämäki realised that he would probably not reach the top level on skis, but that he certainly had a fast hand that moved like a whip. So Pitkämäki talked to a coach Hannu Kangas, and that was the beginning!

“Those days Tero was a very small boy, but I could see the talent in him,” confirmed Kangas. “Then he grew up 10 - 15 cm in one year without losing his co-ordination and technique. I know he could become a top thrower and there he is now: at 195 centimetres, still very fast, a skilled young man.”

Last summer Pitkämäki mass-produced throws in the 77 to 79 metres range, and was at his best when most needed. In July he took the European U23-bronze in Bydgoszcz, Poland after setting his personal best of 78.84 but that was not his last word of the season.

At the Finnish Championships "Kalevan Kisat" in Helsinki on August, spectators saw two new Finns throw over 80 metres in couple of minutes of each other. First Tero Järvenpää, 18, threw 80.43, and next Pitkämäki blasted out 80.45 in the opening round of the final.

"We will get many happy moments from these guys" 

At the press conference after the competition Parviainen (82.91) looked at these two young medallists and said: "We will get many happy moments from these guys, who can handle the pressure so brilliantly."

“I was not totally satisfied, therefore my second throw flew over the left sector mark and landed onto 81.50 - 82 metres,” said Pitkämäki. “I made a mistake and lost another personal best.”

The Finnish national silver medal guaranteed him a place in Sweden versus Finland team match in September in Helsinki. Again he showed that his nerves were strong: 79.82 and second place in his first performance at this legendary and unique battle between two Nordic countries.

Pitkämäki had no injuries, not even flu last winter. He is studying Electronic Engineering in Vaasa and training in the huge Botnia-hall, in which a javelin can be thrown full out. At the end of April he flew to the Finnish training camp in Athens knowing that he was in really good form.

“According to all the test results I am ready for 85 metres,” he confirmed. I have got much needed extra power in order to make the end of my throw more compact. I want to compete in Athens and reach the final there.”

Mauri Auvinen agrees with Pitkämäki: “Tero has jumped better in tests than any Finnish Javelin man ever, and that tells lot.”

Helsinki 2005 and Beijing Olympic Games

“Next stop would be Helsinki 2005, but my goal is the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008,” confirms Pitkämäki.

“Yes, in Finland almost everybody looks at us, javelin men, but I think the publicity is only good. It is one part of sports and athletes just have to find the positive energy in it.”

Wirkkala - like Zelezny or Räty

Teemu Wirkkala, 20, is ‘Finland´s Zelezny’ with his extremely fast and aggressive ‘rotational’ technique. Wirkkala, the European Junior champion was in fine winter shape and set his new personal best 80.87 at the European Winter Throws Challenge in Malta in March this year.

Wirkkala has been busy during the spring weeks. During the first two weeks he was in Spain, near Malaga, and then has spent another fortnight in Athens, where the national training camp was organised by the Finnish Olympic Committee and the Finnish Athletics Association.

”Teemu had already performed well at the Finnish Winter Championships indoors at the Pirkkahalli, Tampere: 76.93m, with no wind assistance a very promising result. Still his near 81m in Malta surprised me a bit,” confirmed Auvinen.

One of Wirkkala´s strongest points is his eagerness to win. Many compare him with Seppo Räty, the World Champion in 1987 and a three-time Olympic medallist 1988 - 96. It could also be a good sign, that just like Räty, Wirkkala is a passionate fisher. Both men can relax and switch off from the pressures by spending a whole Finnish summer night on a lake or a river.

Good talents, sensible trainers

Tero Järvenpää spent his winter in the army in Lahti, where the best Finnish young athletes of all sports are gathered to do their national service in a special ‘Sports Division’. There the military education and personal training programmes are much easier to mix together with training than in ‘normal’ army divisions.

“The same with Järvenpää as with Pitkämäki: he has had no trouble in increasing strength. Also Järvenpää has power enough for 83 - 85 metres already,” confirms Auvinen.

Järvenpää´s original event was the Discus until summer 2001. Then he lost his Discus technique and tried Javelin just in order to change his daily routines. As a result of 2 - 3 months training Järvenpää realised that he belonged on the Finnish team at the World Youth Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

“That would have been enough for me then, but after getting a bronze medal in the final which Wirkkala won, I decided it: ‘Javelin is my event and one day I want to throw 100 metres and take a medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008,”confirms Järvenpää.

And the rest…

Esko Mikkola, 29, has been studying at the Arizona University in Tuscon, USA, since 1998. His personal best is 82.48m - thrown in 2001 and an early effort over 81m this spring looks promising.

Jarkko Koski-Vähälä, 25, has improved his PB metre by metre to 81.46 (2003), and Mauri Auvinen believes that only Jarkko of the younger group is at the moment strong enough to make 85 metres and beyond.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? So many young talents! Not only physically, but also mentally good types, linked to highly skilled personal trainers.

“All of these guys keep their feet on the ground, and that is what their coaches do as well. They know that this year you may improve from 77 to 81 metres, but then you may have to wait the next step 2 - 3 years more. There is only one way to the top: hard work,” underlines Auvinen.