Tero Pitkämäki
Encyclopedia
Tero Kristian Pitkämäki (born December 19, 1982 in Ilmajoki
) is a Finnish javelin throw
er and the former World Champion. Pitkämäki is known for his rivalry with Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen
. The two are very close friends, however. He has a personal best of 91.53m set in 2005.
Pitkämäki finished 8th in the javelin contest
at the 2004 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 the 2005 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 the 2006 European Championships in Athletics
.
On Friday 13 July 2007, during the IAAF Golden League meet at Rome's Olimpico
Stadium, Tero Pitkämäki threw a javelin too far left and hit French long jumper Salim Sdiri
in the side of the back
. Sdiri was rushed to a local Rome hospital with non life-threating injuries.
On August 5, Pitkämäki won his 4th Finnish championship in a row with a throw of 89.43 meters. In the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
in Osaka
, 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.
On October 5, 2007, Tero Pitkämäki was honored with the European Athlete of the Year
title by the EEA
. 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. In December, Pitkämäki was voted Finnish Sportsman of the Year
by the members of the Finnish Sport Journalists Association, beating women's triple world cross country skiing champion Virpi Kuitunen
and Formula One
world champion Kimi Räikkönen
.
Ilmajoki
Ilmajoki is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region. The population of Ilmajoki is and the municipality covers an area of of which is inland water...
) is a Finnish javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
er and the former World Champion. Pitkämäki is known for his rivalry with Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen
Andreas Thorkildsen
Andreas Thorkildsen is a Norwegian javelin thrower, born in Kristiansand. He is the first male javelin thrower in history to be European champion, World champion and Olympic champion...
. The two are very close friends, however. He has a personal best of 91.53m set in 2005.
Career
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's Javelin
The Men's Javelin Throw event at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program was held at the Athens Olympic Stadium, Greece...
at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
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 the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
, 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 the 2006 European Championships in Athletics
2006 European Championships in Athletics
The 19th European Athletics Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 7 August and 13 August 2006. The competition arena was the Ullevi Stadium and the official motto "Catch the Spirit"...
.
On Friday 13 July 2007, during the IAAF Golden League meet at Rome's Olimpico
Stadio Olimpico
The Stadio Olimpico is the main and largest sports facility of Rome, Italy. It is located within the Foro Italico sports complex on the north of the city. An asset of the Italian National Olympic Committee, the structure is intended primarily for football...
Stadium, Tero Pitkämäki threw a javelin too far left and hit French long jumper Salim Sdiri
Salim Sdiri
Salim Sdiri is a French long jumper of Tunisian descent. His personal best jump is 8.42 metres, achieved in June 2009 in Pierre-Bénite, which is the current French national record...
in the side of the back
Human back
The human back is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck and the shoulders. It is the surface opposite to the chest, its height being defined by the vertebral column and its breadth being supported by the ribcage and shoulders...
. Sdiri was rushed to a local Rome hospital with non life-threating injuries.
On August 5, Pitkämäki won his 4th Finnish championship in a row with a throw of 89.43 meters. In the 2007 World Championships in Athletics
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, 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.
On October 5, 2007, Tero Pitkämäki was honored with the European Athlete of the Year
European Athlete of the Year Award
The European Athlete of the Year Trophy is an annual prize awarded to sportspeople participating in athletics, including track and field, road running and cross country running competitions...
title by the EEA
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...
. 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. In December, Pitkämäki was voted Finnish Sportsman of the Year
Finnish Sportspersonality of the year
The Finnish Sportspersonality of the Year is chosen annually since 1947 by the national sports journalists. In addition, the best female athlete is nominated each year.-Winners:- Best females :...
by the members of the Finnish Sport Journalists Association, beating women's triple world cross country skiing champion Virpi Kuitunen
Virpi Kuitunen
Virpi Katriina Sarasvuo is a Finnish cross country skier who competed from 1995 to 2010. She won a bronze medal in the team sprint event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and earned her best individual finish of fifth in the individual sprint event in those same games...
and Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
world champion Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi Matias Räikkönen , nicknamed Iceman, is a Finnish racing driver, who will drive in Formula One for Lotus in . After nine seasons racing in Formula One, in which he took the Formula One World Drivers' Championship, he competed in the World Rally Championship from 2009-2011.Räikkönen entered...
.