 Tero Pitkämäki in 2014 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1982-12-19)19 December 1982 (age 42) |
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Finland |
| Sport | Track and field |
Event | Javelin throw |
| Club | Nurmon Urheilijat[1] |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbest | 91.53m (2005) |
Medal record | |
Tero Kristian Pitkämäki (born 19 December 1982) is a Finnish retiredtrack and field athlete who competed in thejavelin throw. He is a World Champion, havingwon gold in2007. His personal best throw of 91.53m, set in 2005, ranks himeleventh on the overall list.[1][2]
Pitkämäki was born on 19 December 1982. He is from the rural village of Ahonkylä inIlmajoki. His interest in the javelin throw began at the age of eight. He was inspired by watching the1991 World Championships, whereKimmo Kinnunen andSeppo Räty won both gold and silver for Finland. Afterwards, Pitkämäki competed in a youth competition in Koskenkorva (Ilmajoki), where he threw the javelin 22 metres, 10 metres ahead of the runner-up. He regularly practiced throwing at home, once piercing his neighbour's roof.[3]
Pitkämäki finished 8th in thejavelin at the2004 Summer Olympics with the result 83.01 m and has since developed into one of the world's leading javelin throwers. As of August 2005, he had thrown 91.53 m, hence he was one of the favorites at the2005 World Championships in Athletics, which were held in his home country. However, he was only fourth with a result of 81.27 m. Pitkämäki took his first medal by placing second at the2006 European Championships in Athletics.[4]
OnFriday 13 July 2007, during theIAAF Golden League meet at Rome'sOlimpico Stadium, Tero Pitkämäki threw a javelin too far left and hit French long jumperSalim Sdiri in the side of theback. Sdiri was rushed to a local Rome hospital with non life-threatening injuries.[5]
On 5 August, Pitkämäki won his 4th Finnish championship in a row with a throw of 89.43 meters. In the2007 World Championships in Athletics inOsaka, Japan, Pitkämäki secured gold medal in men's javelin with a throw of 89.16 meters. With his last throw in the competition, he bettered his final result to 90.33 meters.[6]
On 5 October 2007, Tero Pitkämäki was honored with theEuropean Athlete of the Year title by theEEA. His 11 wins over the season, including the World Champion title, Golden League in Oslo and Paris, and his season best, also best in Europe, 91.23 meter throw, were the factors for choosing him.[7] In December, Pitkämäki was votedFinnish Sportsman of the Year by the members of the Finnish Sport Journalists Association, beating women's triple worldcross-country skiing championVirpi Kuitunen andFormula One world championKimi Räikkönen.[8]
In September 2015, Pitkämäki received his first title from theDiamond League.[9]
Pitkämäki announced his retirement from competition on 14 October 2019. He had ruptured hisanterior cruciate ligament in June 2018 and began rehabilitation in August of that year. He recovered from the injury and did not experience pain during practice, but felt that the functionality of the knee had reduced significantly. He said his throws in summer 2019 were around 75 m, and that he did not believe he was capable of being competitive at the2019 World Athletics Championships. Pitkämäki had planned to finish his career at the2020 Summer Olympics, but brought his retirement forward. He stated at his retirement news conference: "When it became clear to me that I was no longer in the condition I wanted to be in and that I would no longer get there, my enthusiasm and motivation for the sport dried up. That is the biggest reason for the decision."[10]
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 Diamond League champions in men's javelin throw | |
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