– One throw can change everything, says Aki Parviainen, referring to Oliver Helander’s record breaking arc of 89.83 meters in mid-June.
Aki Parviainen celebrated the World Championship gold in Seville 1999. EPA / AOP
- The World Athletics Championships will be held in the USA from 15 to 24. July.
- Finland aims for success with a team of 32 athletes.
- The biggest hope for a medal is the javelin thrower Oliver Helander, who broke his record of 89.83 in June – fourth in the world statistics for the season.
– Now we really have one guy who has a chance for medals. As long as you stay healthy, the chances are good, Aki Parviainen anticipate.
– It’s a tickling situation.
TOP-5
Top men’s javelin world statistics in the 2022 season:
93.07 Anderson Peters, Grenada
90.88 Jakub Vadlejch, Czech Republic
89.94 Neeraj Chopra, India
89,83 Oliver Helander, Finland
89.54 Julian Weber, Germany
by Oliver Helander along with the Finnish javelin throwers in Eugene Lassi Etelätalo as well as the first-timers of the prestigious competitions Toni Keränen and Sanne Erkkola.
– Etelätalo is at its best in tight spaces. There are still no big expectations for Kerä. However, it is always positive to make it to the Games, Parviainen states, also referring to Erkkola.
Oliver Helander threw his record 89.83 in June in Turku. Jaakko Stenroos / AOP
Finland’s success in athletics has traditionally relied a lot on the javelin throw, and five of the seven most recent World Cup medals have come from the javelin: Parviainen won gold in 1999 and silver in 2001 and Tero Pitkämäki gold in 2007, silver in 2013 and bronze in 2015.
To the top at a young age
Parviainen became Finland’s new javelin hope already at the age of 20 after improving her record to 85.60.
In 1998, he was 23 years old when he broke the 90 meter barrier with a result of 90.88. Expectations were high at the European Championships in Budapest.
– I went to the games as a preliminary favorite, but then I was ninth. In a year I grew into a champion after that disappointment. It was a little bit in the tooth cavity, he describes his introspection, which in 1999 led to memorable achievements.
At the Midsummer Games in Kuortanene, Parviainen set a Finnish record of 93.09.
– On that day, it didn’t seem like the record could be set today, but the level was so good that you can always go a little better.
With the still valid SE, Parviainen went to the World Championships in Seville as the statistical leader. Self-confidence was at its peak.
– The basic level was such that there was really nothing to lose.
The Pyhäselkä Urheilijoden, who represented Joensuu’s Kataja, withstood the pressure and won the fifth round with an arc that carried 89.52 meters.
With his opening 89.18, he beat Greece Kostas Gatsioudis bowed to silver and the Czech ME man Jan Zelezny for bronze.
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Parviainen finished fifth.
– There were a lot of good results in the early season, but the competitions were held only at the end of September. At that point, our man’s lunch started to be already eaten. There were too many competitions for that season.
Parviainen changed Jarmo Hirvonen in place of Leo Pusan as his personal trainer.
– The quality improved as soon as Leksa had the idea of holistic training.
Terrible level
The 2001 World Championships became the toughest ever in terms of the top.
Defending champion Parviainen broke a new competition record of 91.31 in the first round, but Zelezny’s answer in the second round was 92.80. The level of the final is described by the fact that Gatsioudis’ bronze throw also scored 89.95.
The level of Parviainen’s performance, on the other hand, is emphasized by the fact that he competed with his arm in surgery condition.
– Fortunately, the pain was relieved at the last minute. After the Games, there was a shoulder repair, and that’s when the downfall started, he sums up the last years of his career overshadowed by injuries.
Falling into second place with the hardest silver result ever in the current javelin model didn’t bother the man.
– Yes, it was a victory in that way, because in terms of results I was pretty much at the maximum. If the other one is even better, then what do you do?
The goal was achieved
Parviainen threw no less than eight arcs over 90 meters with the modern javelin – more than all other Finns combined. Pitkämäki crossed the border six times and Seppo Räty once.
As a thrower, Parviainen was technically skilled and knew how to take advantage of the impact of the supporting leg.
– The bet was good and wide. The throw didn’t change terribly when the mold was the same all the time. The qualities, such as strength and speed, were also consistently good, he describes his strengths.
– Looking back, it would be easier to get to the top today. In the 90s, even the halls were such that you wouldn’t be allowed to practice there anymore, and the coaching knowledge of the Finnish javelin throw was still based on the history that others had done. Although, in a certain way, it was also a strength.
Working as a forest service entrepreneur in Tuupovaara, Parviainen can look back on his career with satisfaction.
– The goal was to one day be the best in the world, and it came true. With the current information and circumstances, the career was probably at its maximum or at least close to it.