Yrjö Nikkanen

Champion javelin thrower Yrjo Nikkanen was born on December 31, 1914 in Leningrad, Russia. Yrjo won the silver medal in the men's javelin throw at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Germany. Nikkanen went on to place second in the same event at both the 1938 and 1946 European Championships. Moreover, Yrjo set two world records in the men's javelin throw in 1938: He threw the javelin 77.87 meters on August 25, 1938 and beat his own record by throwing the javelin 78.70 meters on October 16 of that same year. Nikkanen died at age 70 on November 18, 1985 in Nokia, Finland.