Antti Ruuskanen

Antti Ruuskanen
Antti Ruuskanen at Savo Games in Lapinlahti in 2014
Personal information
Birth nameAntti Hermanni Ruuskanen
Born (1984-02-21) 21 February 1984 (age 40)
Pielavesi, Northern Savonia, Finland
Height1.89 m (6 ft 2+12 in)
Weight86 kg (190 lb)
Sport
Country Finland
SportTrack and field
EventJavelin throw
Achievements and titles
Personal best88.98 m (291 ft 11 in) (2015)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Javelin throw
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Zürich Javelin throw
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Amsterdam Javelin throw

Antti Hermanni Ruuskanen (born 21 February 1984) is a retired Finnish track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He is a European Champion, having won gold in 2014. His personal best is 88.98 metres (291 ft 11 in), which he set in 2015.

Career

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Ruuskanen won the bronze medal at the 2003 European Junior Championships and the silver medal at the 2005 European U23 Championships. He was sixth at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

He finished third in London Olympics 2012,[1] but after Oleksandr Pyatnytsya was disqualified as he failed a subsequent doping test,[2] Ruuskanen moved to second place. He received his silver medal in February 2017 during a special ceremony at the 2017 World Nordic Ski Championships in Lahti from the IOC president Thomas Bach.[3]

In 2013, he finished fifth at the World Championships in Moscow.

In 2014, he won the gold medal at the Europeans with a mark of 88.01 m (288 ft 9 in), beating Vítězslav Veselý (84.79 m (278 ft 2 in)) and Tero Pitkämäki (84.40 m (276 ft 11 in)).

In 2016, he won the bronze medal at the Europeans. He competed for Finland at the 2016 Summer Olympics where he placed 6th with a throw of 83.05 metres (272 ft 6 in).[4] He was the flag bearer for Finland during the closing ceremony.[5]

Ruuskanen was a substitute thrower for Finland at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[6]

Competition record

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing  Finland
2003 European Junior Championships Tampere, Finland 3rd 72.87 m (239 ft 1 in)
2005 European U23 Championships Erfurt, Germany 2nd 76.82 m (252 ft 0 in)
2009 World Championships Berlin, Germany 6th 81.87 m (268 ft 7 in)
2011 World Championships Daegu, South Korea 9th 79.46 m (260 ft 8 in)
2012 Olympic Games London, United Kingdom 2nd 84.12 m (276 ft 0 in)
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 5th 81.44 m (267 ft 2 in)
2014 European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 1st 88.01 m (288 ft 9 in)
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 5th 87.12 m (285 ft 10 in)
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 3rd 82.44 m (270 ft 6 in)
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6th 83.05 m (272 ft 6 in)
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany 6th 81.70 m (268 ft 1 in)
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 28th (q) 75.05 m (246 ft 3 in)

Seasonal bests by year

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  • 2002 – 66.08 m (216 ft 10 in)
  • 2003 – 72.87 m (239 ft 1 in)
  • 2004 – 75.84 m (248 ft 10 in)
  • 2005 – 79.75 m (261 ft 8 in)
  • 2006 – 84.10 m (275 ft 11 in)
  • 2007 – 82.71 m (271 ft 4 in)
  • 2008 – 87.33 m (286 ft 6 in)
  • 2009 – 85.39 m (280 ft 2 in)
  • 2010 – 83.45 m (273 ft 9 in)
  • 2011 – 82.29 m (270 ft 0 in)
  • 2012 – 87.79 m (288 ft 0 in)
  • 2013 – 85.70 m (281 ft 2 in)
  • 2014 – 88.01 m (288 ft 9 in)
  • 2015 – 88.98 m (291 ft 11 in)
  • 2016 – 88.23 m (289 ft 6 in)

References

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  1. ^ "Walcott making waves for Trinidad and Tobago". International Olympic Committee. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Ukrainian javelin thrower Oleksandr Pyatnytsya stripped of 2012 silver medal in doping case". Washington Post. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Antti Ruuskanen on nyt olympiahopeamitalisti - Puhtaan urheilun voitto". www.sportti.com. 23 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Rio 2016". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 7 September 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  5. ^ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony". 21 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Tokio 2020: Suomen joukkueen olympiapaikat, karsintojen aikataulut ja kisoihin valitut urheilijat". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
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