Paavo Yrjölä

Paavo Ilmari Yrjölä ( born June 18, 1902 in Hämeenkyrö, † February 11, 1980 ) was a Finnish athlete. His greatest achievement was the victory in the decathlon at the Summer Olympic Games in 1928 in Amsterdam.

Yrjölä participated in the 1924 Olympics in Paris and took part there in ninth place in the decathlon. Four years later he won the gold medal with 6587 points. In addition, the Finn was nicknamed Hämeenkyrön karhu ( The Bear of Hämeenkyrö ) ninth in the shot put. In his last at the Olympics 1932 in Los Angeles, he finished in the decathlon again in sixth place.

Personal bests and achievements

100 -meter run: 11.6 s Long Jump: 6.76 m Shot Put: 14.72 m High jump: 1,87 m 400 -meter run: 51.9 s 110- meter hurdles: 15.5 s Discus Throw: 43.26 m Pole Vault: 3.30m Javelin: 62.15 m 1500 -meter run: 4:26.8 min

In Finland, he was three times national champion in the decathlon between 1925 and 1927. From August 18 1926 to August 20, 1930 Yrjölä held the world record in the decathlon. He corrected him three times.