Reijo Vähälä

Reijo Vähälä

Personal information
Born	(1946-03-07)7 March 1946 Alajärvi, Finland
Died	27 September 2024(2024-09-27) (aged 78)
Height	188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	80 kg (180 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	High jump
Club	Tampereen Pyrintö Alajärven Ankkurit
Achievements and titles
Personal best	High jump: 2.17 m (1969)
Medal record Representing Finland European Championships Silver medal – second place 1969 Athens High jump

Reijo Untamo Vähälä (7 March 1946 — 27 September 2024) was a Finnish high jumper. He placed second in men's high jump at the 1969 European Athletics Championships.

Career

In 1966 Vähälä won both the Finnish championship (2.04 m) and the Finnish under-21 championship (2.01 m) in men's high jump. In 1969 he only placed third at the Finnish championships and was not considered a potential medalist at the European Championships in Athens, but in the championship final he improved his Finnish record of 2.13 m twice, clearing first 2.14 m and then 2.17 m. Two other jumpers, Valentin Gavrilov of the Soviet Union and Erminio Azzaro of Italy, also cleared 2.17 m, and the medals were decided on countback with Vähälä winning a surprising silver. Vähälä won his second Finnish national outdoor title in 1970 with a jump of 2.12 m; in addition, he was Finnish indoor champion in 1968 (2.03 m) and 1969 (2.00 m). He represented Finland again at the 1970 European Indoor Championships, where he placed 10th, and the 1971 European Championships, where he failed to qualify for the final.