Explained: The significance of Paavo Nurmi Games where Neeraj Chopra set a new national record-Sports News , Firstpost

File image of Paavo Nurmi. AFP

Indian javelin thrower and Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra stole the show recently at the Paavo Nurmi Games 2022 in Finland, setting a new National Record of 89.30, a feat that also saw him rewrite his personal best.

His previous national record was 88.07m at the Indian Grand Prix 3 at Patiala last year. In Finland, Neeraj started off with 86.92m, followed by his national record score of 89.30 m. This was followed by three consecutive faults, before ending with a throw of 85.85m.

These earned him a silver medal at the Paavo Nurmi Games, finishing behind Finland’s Oliver Herlander, who topped with a throw of 89.83m.

The Paavo Nurmi Games hold a great significance in the Javelin calendar, with the first edition of the tournament dating back to 1957. The tournament is named after Finnish athlete Paavu Nurmi. So, who is Paavo Nurmi? We explain:

Who is Paavo Nurmi?

Paavo Johannes Nurmi was an athlete from Finland. Paavo Nurmi, born on 13 June, 1897 in Turku, holds of great significance in the history of athletics, given his dominance in long-distance running in the 1920s. He’s won nine Olympic gold medals across three consecutive Games (1920, 1924 and 1928), apart from winning three silver medals too. Nurmi was one of the Flying Finns, a group of Finnish athletes who were nicknamed that way. At the pick of his career, Nurmi went undefeated fir 121 races for distances of 800m and higher.

Nurmi has set 25 world records across various distances.

Nurmi was the son of a carpenter and belonged to a working class family. At the age of nine, Nurmi started running through the Finnish forests. But, at the age of 12, after his father died, Nurmi left school to serve for his family. Nurmi worked on the docks and worked as a filer in an engineering shop before joining the army.

How did the Paavo Nurmi Games come into existence?

The Paavo Nurmi games were first organised in 1957, on the occasion of the 60^th birthday of the legendary athlete. It has been held every year since. The Paavo Nurmi Marathon is another event that has been held annually since 1969 in Wisconsin, United States.

A version of the Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Finland has been held since 1992 annually, and has attracted 500 to 1000 participants yearly.

How Finland is heaven for javelin throwers?

Back in 1891, Hjalmar Fellman became the first Javelin thrower from Finland to beat the rest of the world. As per the rules at that time, Fellman threw 37.82 from a standing position without making an approach run.

Matti Jarvinen was another Finnish javelin thrower, who won the Olympic Gold at the 1932 Summer Games, ahead of two other Finns Matti Sippala and Elno Penttila, with a throw of 72.71.

He dominated the 1930s, creating numerous world records, including breaking the javelin throw world record 10 times in a row. In 1934, Jarvinen became the European champion with a new world record of 76.66m, and defended the title four years later in 1938.