Pauli Nevala

Pauli Nevala ( Pauli Lauri Nevala; born November 30, 1940 in Pohja ) is a Finnish javelin thrower and Olympic champion.

He suffered in 1964 when a serious car accident in Mexico eye damage, so that he could not train until August. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo with 82.66 meters, he still won the gold medal. 1968 in Mexico City, he left in qualifying, but in 1969 he could again show global excellence. In 48 races, he threw 41 times farther than 80 meters, 20 litters were even beyond the 85 meters. In 1970, he was 82 times over 80 meters, 30 times over 85 meters and even five times over 90 meters. His best performance was 92.64 meters.

After he had declared in 1970 in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet that he received at least 800 Swedish crowns for each of his starts, IOC President Avery Brundage opened proceedings for violation of the amateur rules against him. After a shoulder injury in a competition in Abidjan he had to end his athletic career, and the case against him was discontinued.

Nevala was self-taught, coached by end of his career but the Sprinter Antti Rajamäki. Today he is responsible as a district sports officer for the youth of Teuva.