 Nool in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Erki Nool |
| Born | (1970-06-25)25 June 1970 (age 55) |
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Estonia |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | Decathlon |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbests | 8815NR (Edmonton 2001)[1] |
Medal record | |
Erki Nool (born 25 June 1970) is anEstonian retireddecathlete and formerpolitician.
Nool was born on 25 June 1970 inVõru. He grew up in an impoverished environment in the southern part of Võru. His father was a worker in a furniture factory and his mother was in charge of the finances of a school. There were six children, with Erki the third youngest. When he was 13, from the suggestion of his father he moved to a sports-focusedboarding school, where he could eat a free warm meal three times a day.[1]
In those days the economy was in a poor condition. When traveling to over-seas competitions, they didn't get their own cabin in the cruise ship, but instead just slept in the hallways and then competed and trained the next day. They also didn't have indoor athletics training facilities for winter. Nool was brought to tears when he was gifted a new, pristine pair of sneakers.[1]
After Estonia became independent on 20 August 1991, Nool was vocal about his dream of competing in the Olympics as part of the Estonian team. He took part in theBarcelona 1992 Summer Olympics decathlon but he ended up having to stop and pull out.[1] Little by little he developed and by the mid-1990s he was among the top athletes in decathlon.[1] In September 1997 he founded his own sports club and in 1998–2009 he organized international decathlon competition "Reval Hotels Cup".[2]
When he won gold for decathlon at the1998 Budapest European Championships, he became a sports hero. Two years later, when he won thegold medal for decathlon in the2000 Summer Olympics inSydney, he became a national hero.[1] Although Nool did not place first in any individual event, his total score was the highest. There was a dramatic moment indiscus throw, but luckily the competition referee decided to over-rule a judge, who had red-flagged his last and only valid attempt due to alleged step-out. The reinstatement of his 43.66-metre third throw sparked unsuccessful counter-protests from other teams. Nool took gold ahead of theCzechRoman Šebrle andAmericanChris Huffins.[3][4]
He has been voted as Estonia's sexiest man and in the 2000s the most popular Estonian.[1] In 2006, Nool participated as a celebrity contestant on thefirst season ofTantsud tähtedega, an Estonian version ofDancing with the Stars. His professional dancing partner was Ave Vardja.[5]
In 2005–2017, Erki Nool was the Vice Chairman of theEOC Athletes Commission and 2007–2011 member of theEuropean Athletics Development Committee. 2008–2012, he was also member of the executive committee of theEstonian Olympic Committee.[2]
On 4 March 2007, Nool was elected to the Estonian Parliament, theRiigikogu, representing theUnion of Pro Patria and Res Publica.[6] He has since left politics and now focuses on his real estate business and athletics school, with 450 students.[1]
His son Robin Nool (born in 1998) competed inpole vault with a record of 5.40 m.[1][7]
Information fromWorld Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decathlon | 8,815 points | Edmonton | August 7, 2001 | 8,815 points |
| 100 meters | 10.34 (+3.2 m/s)w | Haapsalu | August 16, 1997 | 1,013 points |
| Long jump | 8.22 m (26 ft11+1⁄2 in) (+3.0 m/s)w | Tallinn | June 15, 1996 | 1,117 points |
| Shot put | 15.11 m (49 ft6+3⁄4 in) | Sydney | September 27, 2000 | 796 points |
| High jump | 2.05 m (6 ft8+1⁄2 in) | Lipetsk | February 9, 1991 | 850 points |
| 400 meters | 46.23 | Edmonton | August 6, 2001 | 997 points |
| 110 meters hurdles | 14.37 (-0.1 m/s) | Götzis | June 4, 2000 | 927 points |
| Discus throw | 45.28 m (148 ft6+1⁄2 in) | Arles | June 8, 2003 | 773 points |
| Pole vault | 5.60 m (18 ft4+1⁄4 in) | Tallinn | July 5, 1998 | 1100 points |
| Javelin throw | 71.91 m (235 ft 11 in) | New York City | July 20, 1998 | 919 points |
| 1500 meters | 4:29.48 | Sydney | September 28, 2000 | 748 points |
| Virtual Best Performance | 9,240 points | |||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Estonian Sportsman of the Year 1996–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Estonian Sportsman of the Year 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Olympic Games | ||
| Preceded by | Flagbearer for Estonia 2004 Athens | Succeeded by |
| All-around | |
|---|---|
| Pentathlon |
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| Decathlon |
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European Athletics Championships champions in men'sdecathlon | |
|---|---|
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| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
