| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s athletics | ||
| Competitor for Finland | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 1908 London | Greek discus |
| Intercalated Games | ||
| Gold | 1906 Athens | Greek discus |
| Bronze | 1906 Athens | Discus |
Venne "Verner" Järvinen (March 4, 1870, Ruovesi – January 31, 1941) was a Finnish athlete who competed mostly in the throwing events. A gold medalist in the Greek-style discus from the 1906 Intercalated Games, he went on to win a bronze in the same event at the 1908 Summer Olympics.
Originally one of Finland's leading wrestlers, he switched to athletics with that sport's raising popularity in early 20th century Finland.[1] Järvinen established national records in both discus throw and hammer throw,[2] yet the latter would be the one throwing event in which he never competed at an Olympics.[3]
At his first Olympics in Athens 1906 (now no longer officially recognized by the IOC), Järvinen was a solid medal candidate in multiple events. In the shot put he reportedly had the longest efforts (albeit in the absence of defending champion Ralph Rose), but was disqualified for throwing the shot.[1][4] In the javelin he finished fifth behind four Swedes, less than a meter behind silver medalist Knut Lindberg.[5] In the discus he finished third, with defending champion Martin Sheridan taking the top spot. Finally, on May 1, Järvinen won the gold in a somewhat confusing Greek-style discus competition.[1][6]
At the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, Great Britain, Järvinen finished third in the Greek-style discus and fourth in the regular discus.[3][7] Both competitions were won by Sheridan.[7] Järvinen also competed in the shot and the javelin, but without any notable success.[3][7]
Järvinen appeared at the Olympics for one more time in 1912, this time competing only in the discus. At age 42, he finished 15th in the regular discus and 12th in the both hands competition.[3]
Three of his four sons – Kalle, Aki and Matti – would become noted Olympians in their own right.[1][3] Kalle Järvinen broke the European record in men's shot put with a 1927 mark of 15.17,[8] and competed in that event at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[1][9] Aki Järvinen was a two-time Olympic silver medalist and a world record holder in the decathlon,[1][10] while Matti was even more successful in the javelin, winning the Olympic gold in 1932 and breaking the world record no less than ten times.[1][10] All of the sons were originally coached by their father.[1]
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