Arsi Harju

Arsi Harju
Personal information
Full name Arsi Ilari Harju
Born March 18, 1974 (age 41)
Kurikka, Finland

Arsi Ilari Harju (born March 18, 1974 in Kurikka) is a Finnish shot putter with the team Perhon kiri. He won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics with a distance of 21.29 metres (69 ft 10 in). His personal best is 21.39, which he put in the qualifiers for the same Olympics. Due to his success in the Olympics and elsewhere that year, Harju was named Finnish Athlete of the Year in 2000.

Harju was the 12th member to be inducted into the 20 metre club after he successfully putted the shot 20.16 m in a competition on March 2, 1997, in Tampere, Finland.

Harju is a national UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Finland.

In 2011, Arsi Harju made a comeback after six years in Tucson, USA. His comeback result was 18.48.

Major achievements

Year Competition Venue Position Notes
1993 Finnish Indoor Championships Kuopio, Finland 3rd 17.99 (FR19)
1995 Finnish Outdoor Championships Lapua, Finland 3rd 19.46
1996 Finnish Outdoor Championships Tampere, Finland 2nd 19.46
1997 Finnish Outdoor Championships Lappeenranta, Finland 2nd 19.72
1997 Finnish Indoor Championships Rovaniemi, Finland 2nd 19.77
1998 Finnish Outdoor Championships Oulu, Finland 2nd 21.04
1998 Finnish Indoor Championships Tampere, Finland 2nd 20.25
1998 European Indoor Championships Valencia, Spain 3rd 20.53
1999 Finnish Indoor Championships Jyväskylä, Finland 1st 19.52
2000 Finnish Outdoor Championships Lahti, Finland 1st 20.84
2000 Summer Olympics Sydney, Australia 1st 21.29
2001 World Championships Edmonton, Canada 3rd 20.93
2002 European Championships Munich, Germany 4th 20.47
2003 World Indoor Championships Birmingham, England 4th 20.96
2003 Finnish Indoor Championships Kuortane, Finland 2nd 20.37
2005 Finnish Outdoor Championships Pori, Finland 2nd 20.21

References