View source for Strength athletics in Finland

'''Strength athletics in Finland''' refers to the participation of Finnish competitors and holding national [[strongman]] competitions.
==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 World's Strongest Man|2002]], and not having any major international victories.
==National competitions==
===Finland's Strongest Man===
{{Infobox sport tournament
|year =
|name = Finland's Strongest Man
|image =
|location = Finland
|establishment = 1987
|format = Multi-event competition
|purse =
|month_played = <!--Use if still played-->
|current_champion = {{flagicon|Finland}} Severi Allonen (2024)
}}
'''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<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/strongmanresults.html |title=David Horne's World of Grip |publisher=Davidhorne-gripmaster.com |date=2010-06-21 |accessdate=2010-06-25}}</ref> and has produced 19 champions throughout its 33 consecutive years. It is one of the oldest strongman competitions in the world.
Mika Törrö holds the record for the most number of wins with five titles while [[Janne Virtanen]] and Jani Illikainen share four titles each. [[Ilkka Nummisto]] and [[Riku Kiri]] share three titles each as well.<ref name=autogenerated3 /> [[Jón Páll Sigmarsson]], [[Bill Kazmaier]] and [[Hjalti Arnason]] were guests in the competition but their placings were not included in the final results.<ref name=autogenerated3 />
====Champions breakdown====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Champion
!Runner-Up
!3rd Place
|-
|1987 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Arto Lyytikäinen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Markku Suonenvirta || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jari Leino & Kari Pötrönen
|-
|1988 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Riku Kiri]] || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}} || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|1989 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Markku Suonenvirta || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Ilkka Nummisto]] || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|1990 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Ilkka Nummisto]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Markku Suonenvirta || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|1991 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Ilkka Nummisto]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Markku Suonenvirta || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|1992 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Ilkka Nummisto]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jukka Laine || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Marko Varalahti]]
|-
|1993 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Riku Kiri]] ||  {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Marko Varalahti]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jarmo Ruotsalainen
|-
|1994 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Riku Kiri]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Harri Simonen || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Jorma Ojanaho]]
|-
|1995 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Marko Varalahti]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Sami Heinonen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jukka Laine
|-
|1996 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Jorma Ojanaho]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Jouko Ahola]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Marko Varalahti]]
|-
|1997 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Jouko Ahola]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Sami Heinonen || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Jorma Ojanaho]]
|-
|1998 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Janne Virtanen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Matti Uppa || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jukka Laine
|-
|1999 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Janne Virtanen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Sami Heinonen || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]]
|-
|2000 ||  {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Janne Virtanen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Sami Heinonen || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]]
|-
|2001 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Janne Virtanen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Pasi Paavisto
|-
|2002 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Sami Heinonen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Harri Simonen
|-
|2003 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Esa Qvintus || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Tomi Lotta]]
|-
|2004 || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Tomi Lotta]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jani Illikainen
|-
|2005 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jani Illikainen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Matti Uppa || {{flagicon|Finland}} Juha-Pakka Aitala
|-
|2006 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jani Illikainen || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Esa Qvintus
|-
|2007 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jani Illikainen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jani Kolehmainen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Janne Hartikainen
|-
|2008 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jani Illikainen || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}} || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|2009 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Juha Matti Jarvi || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}} || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|2010 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Pedro Karlsson || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}} || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|2011<ref name=autogenerated2>[http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Articles/2011/May/Finlandxs_Strongest_Man_Woman-Jarno_Jokinen_Kati_Luoto_Win.html Finland’s Strongest Man, Woman: Jarno Jokinen, Kati Luoto Win<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> || {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Jarno Jokinen]] || {{flagicon|Finland}} Pedro Karlsson || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|2014<ref>{{cite web |title=Finland’s Strongest Man: The Next Generation|url=https://ironmind.com/news/Finlands-Strongest-Man-The-Next-Generation/|access-date=17 July 2023|work=Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. |date=9 June 2014}}</ref> || {{flagicon|Finland}} Arto Niemi-Nikkola || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jarno Kirselä || {{flagicon|Finland}} Juha Jokinen
|-
|2018 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Mika Törrö || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}} || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|2019 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Mika Törrö || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}} || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|2020 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Mika Törrö || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}} || {{small|''(To be confirmed)''}}
|-
|2021 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Mika Törrö || {{flagicon|Finland}} Henry Ollila || {{flagicon|Finland}} Severi Allonen
|-
|2022 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Mika Törrö || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jarkko Mehtälä || {{flagicon|Finland}} Teemu Pohto
|-
|2023 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jarkko Mehtälä || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jesse Pynnönen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Mika Törrö
|-
|2024 || {{flagicon|Finland}} Severi Allonen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Jesse Pynnönen || {{flagicon|Finland}} Mika Törrö
|}
*Results courtesy of David Horne's World of Grip: http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/strongmanresults.html
=====Repeat champions=====
{| class="wikitable"
!Champion
!Times & years
|-
|{{flagicon|FIN}} Mika Törrö || '''5''' (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022,
|-
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Janne Virtanen]] || '''4''' (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
|-
|{{flagicon|FIN}} Janni Illikainen || '''4''' (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
|-
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Riku Kiri]] || '''3''' (1988, 1993, 1994)
|-
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Ilkka Nummisto]] || '''3''' (1990, 1991, 1992)
|-
|{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]] || '''2''' (2002, 2003)
|}
==Regional Competitions==
===Nordic Strongman Championships===
Nordic Strongman Championships consists of athletes from [[Iceland]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]] and [[Denmark]].<ref name="ironmind.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Articles/2012/Jun/Nordic_Strongman_Championships-Viking_Loses_His_Title.html |title=Nordic Strongman Championships: Viking Loses His Title! |access-date=2012-06-21 |archive-date=2013-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213726/http://www.ironmind.com/ironmind/opencms/Articles/2012/Jun/Nordic_Strongman_Championships-Viking_Loses_His_Title.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|Year
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|Champion
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|Runner-Up
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|3rd Place
|-
|2005 || {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Svend Karlsen]] || {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Magnus Samuelsson]] || {{flagicon|FIN}} [[Juha-Matti Räsänen]]
|-
|2012<ref name="ironmind.com"/> || {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Johannes Årsjö]] || {{flagicon|NOR}} [[Lars Rorbakken]] || {{flagicon|DEN}} Mikkel Leicht
|-
|2013 || {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Johannes Årsjö]] || {{flagicon|NOR}} Ole Martin Hansen || {{flagicon|FIN}} Juha-Matti Järvi
|-
|}
*In 2005, the competition was held under [[International Federation of Strength Athletes|IFSA]] in [[Kristiansand]], and in 2012 and 2013 in [[Harstad]], [[Norway]] under [[Giants Live]].
*From 2014 onwards, the competition was promoted to global level, re-titled as the [[World's Strongest Viking]] and was held consecutively for 8 years under [[Strongman Champions League]].
==International Competitions==
===Giants Live===
Finland was also the venue for a couple of Giants Live grand prix competitions with the participation of top athletes of the world. The competitions were named Giants Live Finland.
{| class="wikitable"
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|Year
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|Champion
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|Runner-Up
!style="background: #cce6ff;"|3rd Place
|-
|2011 || {{flagicon|AUT}} [[Martin Wildauer]] || {{flagicon|LIT}} [[Vidas Blekaitis]] || {{flagicon|EST}} [[Rauno Heinla]]
|-
|2012 || {{flagicon|GBR}} [[Laurence Shahlaei]] || {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Johannes Årsjö]] || {{flagicon|EST}} Lauri Nämi
|-
|}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finland's Strongest Man}}
[[Category:Strongmen competitions]]
[[Category:National strongmen competitions]]
[[Category:Strength athletics|Finland]]
[[Category:Sport in Finland]]