Antti Hyvärinen

Antti Abram Hyvärinen ( born June 21, 1932 in Rovaniemi, † January 13, 2000 in Bad Nauheim ) was a Finnish ski jumper and ski jump designer.

Hyvärinen began his career at the same club as of a few months older, also originating from Rovaniemi Tauno Luiro, who had to end his career early due to diabetes mellitus and 1955 died of pulmonary tuberculosis. For first sensation Hyvärinen made ​​in the Finnish Junior Championship in 1951, where he finished second. A year later, he took 19 years for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games in Oslo, where he was seventh best athlete of his country. Even at this stage games, the then coach Veli Saarinen was optimistic in regard to Hyvärinens future: "We have now Pietikäinen. But I think next Olympics this Hyvärinen will bring forward. " In the following years presented Lasse Johannesen, Saarinen's successor as national coach a young Finnish team, which focuses on the fish - style, a newly developed ski jumping technique, Ground surrounded, and soon the international leadership position was taken by the Norwegians.

While his team-mates during the period from 1954 were remarkable successes for themselves - 1954 Matti Pietikäinen in Falun world champion, a year later Hemmo Silvennoinen decided the Four Hills Tournament for themselves - remained at Hyvärinen outstanding results; he often placed himself in the upper middle. Although in 1955 he decided to sample competition on the Olympic hill in Cortina d' Ampezzo for himself, he was regarded merely as "Finland's number three " and was therefore given at the Olympic Winter Games in 1956 an earlier starting point than his favorite opponents and teammates Eino Kirjonen and Aulis Kallakorpi. A role also played that Hyvärinen was considered rather phlegmatic; Johannesen his coach gave him immediately before the Olympics before he was " so spiritless, riskier [e ] little and show [ s ] too little use in a big fight ." Despite this assessment, the Finn was confident and said after a test jump to the German journalist Paul Laven, he considered himself the most promising jumpers at the Olympic Winter Games.

In fact, Hyvärinen triumphed at ski jumping competition at the Italia ski jump on the final day of the Winter Games. After the first round he was tied with the German, Max Bolkart to third place, in the second attempt, he jumped the Tagesbestweite of 84 meters and thus repressed Glaß Harry and his teammates Aulis Kallakorpi of the leading positions. Hyvärinens jump in the final round was called in flashbacks as " something unique " or " truly Olympic Flight "; he himself declared that he had never been " in such good shape ." With the Olympic victory and the world title was connected, which was always awarded in Olympic years, to the winner of the games. Hyvärinen the end of 1956 was also named athlete of the year in Finland.

After end of his career, he became a coach of the ski clubs of his native town, Ounasvaaran Hiihtoseura, 1960-1964 he was a ski jump designer of the Finnish Ski Association.