Verner Järvinen

Venne "Verner" Järvinen (born 3 April 1870, Ruovesi, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire; died 31 January 1941, Tampere, Finland) was a Finnish track and field athlete, who competed mostly in throwing events. He won the gold medal in the Greek-style discus in the 1906 Intercalated Games, and the bronze in the 1908 Summer Olympics, becoming the first Finnish Olympic medalist in athletics.[3] He won the Finnish championship in Greek style discus three times in 1909–1911 and held the national record in discus and hammer throw.

Verner Järvinen

Personal information
Full name	Venne Järvinen
Nickname(s)	Isä, Verner
National team	Finland
Born	3 April 1870 Ruovesi, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died	31 January 1941 (aged 70) Tampere, Finland
Occupation	conductor organizer
Height	182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	95 kg (209 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, hammer throw, triple jump
Club	Helsingin Reipas Helsingin Unitas Helsingin Atleettiklubi Tampereen Pyrintö
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Shot put: 13.93 (1903) Discus throw: 45.12 m (1909) Javelin throw: 44.25 (1906)[1] Hammer throw: 34.83 m (1909) Triple jump: 11.51 m (1901)[2]
Medal record Representing Finland Olympic Games 1908 London Greek discus Intercalated Games 1906 Athens Greek discus 1906 Athens Discus Finnish Championships in Athletics 1909 Greek discus throw 1910 Greek discus throw 1911 Greek discus throw 1911 Hammer throw 1912 Greek discus throw 1909 Two handed discus throw 1910 Two handed discus throw 1910 Hammer throw 1911 Two handed discus throw

Career

Originally one of Finland's leading wrestlers, Järvinen switched to athletics with that sport's rising popularity in early 20th century Finland.[4] Järvinen established national records in both discus throw and hammer throw,[5] yet the latter would be the one throwing event in which he never competed at an Olympics.[1]

Intercalated Games

At his first Olympics in Athens 1906 (now no longer officially recognized by the IOC), Järvinen was a solid medal candidate in multiple events. In the shot put he reportedly had the longest efforts (albeit in the absence of defending champion Ralph Rose), but was disqualified for throwing the shot.[4][6] In the javelin he finished fifth behind four Swedes, less than a meter behind silver medalist Knut Lindberg.[7] In the discus he finished third, with defending champion Martin Sheridan taking the top spot. Finally, on 1 May, Järvinen won the gold medal in the Greek-style discus competition.[4][8]

Olympic Games

At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, Great Britain, Järvinen finished third in the Greek-style discus and fourth in the regular discus.[1][9] Both competitions were won by Sheridan.[9] Järvinen also competed in the shot and the javelin, but without any notable success.[1][9]

Järvinen appeared at the Olympics for one more time in 1912, this time competing only in the discus. At age 42, he finished 15th in the regular discus and 12th in the both hands competition.[1]

National

He won nine medals at the Finnish Championships in Athletics:

Verner Järvinen at the Finnish Championships in Athletics

Year	Event	Rank	Result	References
1909	Two handed shot put	6th	20.77	[10]
	Two handed discus throw	3rd	72.60	[11]
	Greek discus throw	1st	37.12	[11][12]
1910	Two handed discus throw	3rd	71.17 (31.80 + 39.37)	[12]
	Greek discus throw	1st	37.43	[11][12]
	Hammer throw	3rd	28.48	[13][12]
1911	Two handed discus throw	3rd	68.62 (30.41 + 38.21)	[14]
	Greek discus throw	1st	38.03	[15][14]
	Hammer throw	2nd	30.97	[13][14]
1912	Two handed discus throw	5th	60.36 (27.33 + 33.03)	[16]
	Greek discus throw	2nd	31.84[15] or 31.57[16]

In discus throw, he is credited with the following Finnish records:[17]

• 44.00 metres, in 1901
• 44.30 metres, in Saint Petersburg, on 12 August 1906. Not ratified, because at the time only marks made in Finland counted towards the Finnish record.
• 39.68 metres, Helsinki, 1 September 1907
• 44.84 metres, Helsinki, 1 August 1909

In hammer throw, he is credited with the following Finnish record:[18]

• 34.83 metres, Helsinki, 2 August 1909

Family

Three of his four sons – Kalle, Aki and Matti – would become noted Olympians in their own right.[4][1] Kalle Järvinen broke the European record in shot put with a 1927 mark of 15.17 m,[19] and competed in that event at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[20][4] Aki Järvinen was a two-time Olympic silver medalist and a world record holder in the decathlon,[4][21] while Matti was even more successful in the javelin, winning the Olympic gold in 1932 and breaking the world record no less than ten times.[4][21] All of the sons were originally coached by their father.[4]

References

1. "Verner Järvinen Biography and Olympic Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
2. Verner Järvinen. trackfield.brinkster.net
3. Siukonen, Markku (2001). Urheilukunniamme puolustajat. Suomen olympiaedustajat 1906–2000. Suuri olympiateos (in Finnish). 12. Jyväskylä: Graface. p. 103. ISBN 951-98673-1-7.
4. Raevuori, Antero. Järviset – legendaarinen suomalainen urheilijaperhe (in Finnish). Revontuli. ISBN 978-952-5767-18-6.
5. Incorporated from Finnish Wikipedia: discus, hammer
6. "Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's Shot Put". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
7. "Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's Javelin Throw, Freestyle". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
8. "Athletics at the 1906 Athina Summer Games: Men's Discus Throw, Greek Style". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
9. Cook, Theodore Andrea (1909). The Fourth Olympiad London 1908 Official Report (PDF). British Olympic Association/LA84 Foundation. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
10. Hannus, Matti; Laitinen, Esa; Martiskainen, Seppo (2002). Kalevan kisat, Kalevan malja — vuosisata yleisurheilun Suomen mestaruuksia (in Finnish). Lahti: Suomen urheiluliiton julkaisut. p. 231. ISBN 951-96491-5-8.
11. Hannus, Matti; Laitinen, Esa; Martiskainen, Seppo (2002). Kalevan kisat, Kalevan malja — vuosisata yleisurheilun Suomen mestaruuksia (in Finnish). Lahti: Suomen urheiluliiton julkaisut. p. 235. ISBN 951-96491-5-8.
12. Laitinen, Esa (1987). Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa (in Finnish). Helsinki: Finnish Amateur Athletic Association. p. 331.
13. Hannus, Matti; Laitinen, Esa; Martiskainen, Seppo (2002). Kalevan kisat, Kalevan malja — vuosisata yleisurheilun Suomen mestaruuksia (in Finnish). Lahti: Suomen urheiluliiton julkaisut. p. 240. ISBN 951-96491-5-8.
14. Laitinen, Esa (1987). Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa (in Finnish). Helsinki: Finnish Amateur Athletic Association. p. 333.
15. Hannus, Matti; Laitinen, Esa; Martiskainen, Seppo (2002). Kalevan kisat, Kalevan malja — vuosisata yleisurheilun Suomen mestaruuksia (in Finnish). Lahti: Suomen urheiluliiton julkaisut. p. 236. ISBN 951-96491-5-8.
16. Laitinen, Esa (1987). Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa (in Finnish). Helsinki: Finnish Amateur Athletic Association. p. 334.
17. Laitinen, Esa (1987). Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa (in Finnish). Helsinki. p. 584.
18. Laitinen, Esa (1987). Suomen yleisurheilun tilasto-osa (in Finnish). Helsinki. p. 585.
19. Sparks, Bob. "European Records Progression (Men)". Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
20. "Kalle Järvinen". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
21. Mark Butler/IAAF Media&PR Department (2009). "IAAF Statistics Handbook 2009" (PDF). IAAF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2011.