Matti Yrjölä
Encyclopedia
Matti Manu Ilmari Yrjölä (born March 26, 1938 in Hämeenkyrö
, Finland
) is a 192 cm tall Finnish
shot putter
, who represented Kyröskosken Ponsi and weighed 121 kg when competing. He was the second Finn to put the shot more than 20 m in an official competition when he put it 20.04 metres in Hämeenkyrö, Finland on August 2, 1972.
His personal best outdoors is 20.84 m, which he put on July 6, 1976 in Kokemäki
. His personal best indoors of 19.12 m, which he put in Turku
on February 25, 1973, was enough to win him the Finnish Championships
that year. Internationally, his highest rankings in the European Championships
was a fourth place in Athens
in 1969 and a 3rd place in the competition between Finland and Sweden
in 1973.
Yrjölä came from an athletic family: both his father (Paavo Yrjölä
) and his uncle (Iivari Yrjölä) competed in the decathlon
.
Yrjölä was one of the first six Finns originally admitted to the 20 meter club
when it was founded in April 1983.
Hämeenkyrö
Hämeenkyrö is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
) is a 192 cm tall Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
shot putter
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, who represented Kyröskosken Ponsi and weighed 121 kg when competing. He was the second Finn to put the shot more than 20 m in an official competition when he put it 20.04 metres in Hämeenkyrö, Finland on August 2, 1972.
His personal best outdoors is 20.84 m, which he put on July 6, 1976 in Kokemäki
Kokemäki
Kokemäki is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Satakunta region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
. His personal best indoors of 19.12 m, which he put in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
on February 25, 1973, was enough to win him the Finnish Championships
Finnish Championships in Athletics
The Finnish Championships in Athletics, which are known as Kalevan kisat in Finnish, were first held in Tampere in 1907. Since then, they have been held in a different location every year...
that year. Internationally, his highest rankings in the European Championships
European Championships in Athletics
The European Athletics Championships is an event organized by the European Athletic Association. It is organised every four years, the same year as the Commonwealth Games and between the Summer Olympic Games cycle. After the 2010 Championships in Barcelona, the European Championships will take...
was a fourth place in Athens
1969 European Championships in Athletics
The 9th European Athletics Championships were held from 16 September to 21 September 1969 in the Karaiskaki Stadium of Athens, the capital of Greece. New at these championships were the women's 1,500 metres and the women's 4x400 metres relay event....
in 1969 and a 3rd place in the competition between Finland and Sweden
Finland-Sweden athletics international
Finnkampen , Suomi-Ruotsi-maaottelu or Ruotsi-ottelu , is a yearly athletics international competition held between Sweden and Finland since 1925.It is, since the late 1980s, the only annual athletics...
in 1973.
Yrjölä came from an athletic family: both his father (Paavo Yrjölä
Paavo Yrjölä
Paavo Ilmari Yrjölä , also known as the Bear of Hämeenkyrö , was a Finnish track and field athlete who won the gold medal in the decathlon at the Olympics in 1928....
) and his uncle (Iivari Yrjölä) competed in the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
.
Yrjölä was one of the first six Finns originally admitted to the 20 meter club
20 meter club
The 20 meter club is an unregistered Finnish association for Finnish shot putters who have put the shot more than 20 meters in an official competition using a 7.26 kg shot for men and a 4 kg for women....
when it was founded in April 1983.