Strength athletics in Finland
Strength athletics in Finland refers to the participation of Finnish competitors and events in the field of strength athletics in association with the World's Strongest Man.
History
Finland had enormous success on the international stage in the 1990s and early 2000s, having won 3 World's Strongest Man titles, and numerous major European and international competitions. In particular, Jouko Ahola was the 1997 World's Strongest Man & 1999 World's Strongest Man champion, Janne Virtanen won the 2000 World's Strongest Man, and Riku Kiri was a 3 time consecutive Europe's Strongest Man champion from 1995-1997. In recent years Finland has struggled in the major international scene, having not made the finals of WSM since 2002, and not having any major international victories.
National competitions
Finland's Strongest Man
| 2011 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Finland |
| Established | 1987 |
| Format | Multi-event competition |
| Current champion | |
 Jarno Jokinen | |
Finland's Strongest Man is an annual Strongman competition held in Finland and featuring exclusively Finnish athletes, to determine who the strongest Finn of the year is. It was first held in 1987.[1]
Both Janne Virtanen and Jani Illikainen hold the record with four wins, while Ilkka Nummisto and Riku Kiri hold three wins each as well.[1]
Jón Páll Sigmarsson, Bill Kazmaier and Hjalti Arnason were guests in the competition but their placings were not included in the final results.[1]
Top 3 placings
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Arto Lyytikäinen | Markku Suonenvirta | Jari Leino/Kari Pötrönen |
| 1988 | Riku Kiri | ||
| 1989 | Markku Suonenvirta | Ilkka Nummisto | |
| 1990 | Ilkka Nummisto | Markku Suonenvirta | |
| 1991 | Ilkka Nummisto | Markku Suonenvirta | |
| 1992 | Ilkka Nummisto | Jukka Laine | Marko Varalahti |
| 1993 | Riku Kiri | Marko Varalahti | Jarmo Ruotsalainen |
| 1994 | Riku Kiri | Harri Simonen | Jorma Ojanaho |
| 1995 | Marko Varalahti | Sami Heinonen | Jukka Laine |
| 1996 | Jorma Ojanaho | Jouko Ahola | Marko Varalahti |
| 1997 | Jouko Ahola | Sami Heinonen | Jorma Ojanaho |
| 1998 | Janne Virtanen | Matti Uppa | Jukka Laine |
| 1999 | Janne Virtanen | Sami Heinonen | Juha-Matti Räsänen |
| 2000 | Janne Virtanen | Sami Heinonen | Juha-Matti Räsänen |
| 2001 | Janne Virtanen | Juha-Matti Räsänen | Pasi Paavisto |
| 2002 | Juha-Matti Räsänen | Sami Heinonen | Harri Simonen |
| 2003 | Juha-Matti Räsänen | Esa Qvintus | Tomi Lotta |
| 2004 | Tomi Lotta | Juha-Matti Räsänen | Jani Illikainen |
| 2005 | Jani Illikainen | Matti Uppa | Juha-Pakka Aitala |
| 2006 | Jani Illikainen | Juha-Matti Räsänen | Esa Qvintus |
| 2007 | Jani Illikainen | Jani Kolehmainen | Janne Hartikainen |
| 2008 | Jani Illikainen | ||
| 2009 | Juha Matti Jarvi | ||
| 2010[2] | Pedro Karlsson | ||
| 2011[2] | Jarno Jokinen | Pedro Karlsson | |
| 2014[3] | Arto Niemi-Nikkola | Jarno Kirselä | Juha Jokinen |
- Results courtesy of David Horne's World of Grip: http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/strongmanresults.html
Repeat champions
| Champion | Times |
|---|---|
| Janne Virtanen | 4 |
| Janni Illikainen | 4 |
| Riku Kiri | 3 |
| Ilkka Nummisto | 3 |
| Juha-Matti Räsänen | 2 |
Regional competitions
Nordic Strongman Championships
The Nordic Strongman Championships consists of athletes from Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.[4]
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | 3rd Place | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 |  Svend Karlsen |  Magnus Samuelsson | Juha-Matti Räsänen | IFSA Nordic Strongman Championships Kristiansand, Norway |
| 2012[4] | Johannes Arsjo | Lars Rorbakken |  Michael Licht | Nordic Strongman Championships Harstad, Norway |
References
- "David Horne's World of Grip". Davidhorne-gripmaster.com. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
- Finland’s Strongest Man, Woman: Jarno Jokinen, Kati Luoto Win
- "Finland's Strongest Man: The Next Generation". Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- Nordic Strongman Championships: Viking Loses His Title!