 Räty in 1992 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Seppo Henrik Räty |
Nickname(s) | Tohmajärven karhu Tohmajärven tykki |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Born | (1962-04-27)27 April 1962 (age 63) |
| Years active | 1987-1997 |
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb) - 115kg |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Finland (1987-1997) |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | Javelin throw |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Olympic finals |
|
| World finals |
|
| Personalbest | 90.60m (1992) |
Seppo Henrik Räty (born 27 April 1962) is a retired Finnishtrack and field athlete who competed in thejavelin throw. He was a World Champion, havingwon gold in1987. He was also an Olympic medalist (silver in 1992, bronze in 1988 and 1996). He was nicknamedTohmajärven karhu ("The Bear ofTohmajärvi") andTohmajärven tykki ("The Cannon of Tohmajärvi").
His personal best throw of 96.96m, set in 1991, was one of his twoworld records with the"new javelin" at the time, however this throw was made using a "Nemeth" javelin that was banned by theIAAF later that year. All records made using this javelin were retrospectively deleted as from 20.9.1991 but remain ratified world records recognised by the IAAF. His best throw with the current javelin is 90.60 m, achieved in 1992.
While in the process of winning the 1987 World Championships, Räty was the subject of an often repeated video of failure. Räty tripped on the runway, his javelin throw sticking in the runway about 30 cm short of the foul line. While an embarrassing throw for negative gain, in fact since he had not crossed the line it did not even count as a foul.[1]
After retiring, Räty became a coach. He currently (2008) mentors another javelin thrower from Northern Karelia,Oona Sormunen.
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