Matti Järvinen

Matti Henrikki Järvinen (February 18, 1909, Tampere – July 22, 1985) was a Finnish javelin thrower. He won the Olympic gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics ahead of two other Finns, Matti Sippala and Eino Penttilä. The Finns considered other competitors' throwing styles naive, and didn't bother to take off their tracksuits during the event.

Besides his Olympic gold, Järvinen is remembered for his numerous world records. During the years from 1930 to 1936, he broke the IAAF javelin throw world record a record 10 times in a row. He also became the European champion in 1934 and defended his title successfully in 1938. In the 1936 Summer Olympics Järvinen suffered from injuries and finished fifth.

Järvinen, who became known as "Mr. Javelin", was the son of Verner Järvinen, Olympic champion and two-time Bronze medalist in discus throw. His brother Akilles Järvinen was a decathlon world record holder and two-time Olympic silver medalist. His other brother Kalle was a top-level athlete in shot put.

World records