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
Finland's Strongest Man
2011
Tournament information
LocationFinland
Established1987
FormatMulti-event competition
Current champion
Finland 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
1987Finland Arto LyytikäinenFinland Markku SuonenvirtaFinland Jari Leino/Kari Pötrönen
1988Finland Riku Kiri
1989Finland Markku SuonenvirtaFinland Ilkka Nummisto
1990Finland Ilkka NummistoFinland Markku Suonenvirta
1991Finland Ilkka NummistoFinland Markku Suonenvirta
1992Finland Ilkka NummistoFinland Jukka LaineFinland Marko Varalahti
1993Finland Riku KiriFinland Marko VaralahtiFinland Jarmo Ruotsalainen
1994Finland Riku KiriFinland Harri SimonenFinland Jorma Ojanaho
1995Finland Marko VaralahtiFinland Sami HeinonenFinland Jukka Laine
1996Finland Jorma OjanahoFinland Jouko AholaFinland Marko Varalahti
1997Finland Jouko AholaFinland Sami HeinonenFinland Jorma Ojanaho
1998Finland Janne VirtanenFinland Matti UppaFinland Jukka Laine
1999Finland Janne VirtanenFinland Sami HeinonenFinland Juha-Matti Räsänen
2000Finland Janne VirtanenFinland Sami HeinonenFinland Juha-Matti Räsänen
2001Finland Janne VirtanenFinland Juha-Matti RäsänenFinland Pasi Paavisto
2002Finland Juha-Matti RäsänenFinland Sami HeinonenFinland Harri Simonen
2003Finland Juha-Matti RäsänenFinland Esa QvintusFinland Tomi Lotta
2004Finland Tomi LottaFinland Juha-Matti RäsänenFinland Jani Illikainen
2005Finland Jani IllikainenFinland Matti UppaFinland Juha-Pakka Aitala
2006Finland Jani IllikainenFinland Juha-Matti RäsänenFinland Esa Qvintus
2007Finland Jani IllikainenFinland Jani KolehmainenFinland Janne Hartikainen
2008Finland Jani Illikainen
2009Finland Juha Matti Jarvi
2010[2]Finland Pedro Karlsson
2011[2]Finland Jarno JokinenFinland Pedro Karlsson
2014[3]Finland Arto Niemi-NikkolaFinland Jarno KirseläFinland Juha Jokinen
Repeat champions
Champion Times
Finland Janne Virtanen4
Finland Janni Illikainen4
Finland Riku Kiri3
Finland Ilkka Nummisto3
Finland Juha-Matti Räsänen2

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
2005Norway Svend KarlsenSweden Magnus SamuelssonFinland Juha-Matti RäsänenNorway IFSA Nordic Strongman Championships Kristiansand, Norway
2012[4]Sweden Johannes ArsjoNorway Lars RorbakkenDenmark Michael LichtNorway Nordic Strongman Championships Harstad, Norway

References
  1. "David Horne's World of Grip". Davidhorne-gripmaster.com. 2010-06-21. Retrieved 2010-06-25.
  2. Finland’s Strongest Man, Woman: Jarno Jokinen, Kati Luoto Win
  3. "Finland's Strongest Man: The Next Generation". Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  4. Nordic Strongman Championships: Viking Loses His Title!
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