Matti Nykänen

Matti Nykänen

Nykänen in 2014
Country  Finland
Full name Matti Ensio Nykänen
Born (1963-07-17) 17 July 1963
Jyväskylä, Finland
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Personal best 191 m (627 ft)
Planica, 15 Mar 1985
World Cup career
Seasons 1981–1991
Individual wins 46
Indiv. podiums 76
Yellow bibs 62
Indiv. starts 143
Overall titles 4 (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988)
Four Hills titles 2 (1983, 1988)
Medal record
Men's ski jumping
Olympic Games
1984 Sarajevo Individual NH
1988 Calgary Individual NH
1988 Calgary Individual LH
1988 Calgary Team LH
1984 Sarajevo Individual LH
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
1982 Oslo Individual LH
1984 Engelberg Team LH
1985 Seefeld Team LH
1987 Oberstdorf Team LH
1989 Lahti Team LH
1987 Oberstdorf Individual NH
1982 Oslo Team LH
1985 Seefeld Individual LH
1989 Lahti Individual LH
Men's ski flying
FIS Ski Flying World Championships
1985 Planica Individual
1990 Vikersund Individual
1983 Harrachov Individual
1986 Bad Mitterndorf Individual
1988 Oberstdorf Individual
Updated on 10 February 2016.

Matti Ensio Nykänen ( pronunciation ) (born 17 July 1963) is a Finnish former ski jumper who won five Olympic medals (four gold), nine World Championship medals (five gold) and 22 Finnish Championship medals (13 gold).

Most notably, Nykänen won three gold medals at the 1988 Winter Olympics, becoming, along with Yvonne van Gennip of the Netherlands, the most successful athlete at that event. Nykänen is the only ski jumper in history to have won all five of the sport's major competitions: a gold medal in the Winter Olympics (three times), the Ski Jumping World Championships (once), the Ski Flying World Championships (once), four overall World Cup titles, and the Four Hills Tournament (twice).

Since the 1990s, his status as a celebrity has mainly been fueled, not by his sporting achievements, but instead by his colourful personal relationships, his career as a singer, and various incidents often related to heavy use of alcohol and violent behavior. He was sentenced to jail for 26 months following a stabbing incident in 2004, and again for 16 months after aggravated assault on his wife in 2009.[1]

Career

Nykänen on a postage stamp

For most of the 1980s, Nykänen and Jens Weißflog of East Germany dominated the sport. Nykänen won gold and silver at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. His 17.5-point gold medal victory was the largest margin of victory in Olympic ski jumping at the time. He was also the first ever to win gold medals on both hills at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. In 1985 he flew 191 metres in Planica, a world record that stood briefly until Piotr Fijas (Poland) flew 194 metres, again in Planica, in 1987. His other achievements include a total of nine medals (five golds) at the World Championship level. He also won a total of 46 World Cup competitions (Only topped by record-holder Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austria) and won the overall title four times (also a record, currently shared with Adam Małysz POL). He won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament twice.[2] He competed in the FIS Ski Flying World Championships five times and placed in the medals every time. Nykänen also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival twice (1982, 1987). In 1987, Nykänen was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal (shared with Hermann Weinbuch).[3]

On 28 February 2008, he won the International Masters Championship, the world title for veterans.

World Cup

Standings

Season Overall SF 4H
1980/81 26 N/A –
1981/82 4 N/A 11
1982/83 1st N/A 1st
1983/84 2nd N/A 3rd
1984/85 1st N/A 2nd
1985/86 1st N/A –
1986/87 6 N/A 65
1987/88 1st N/A 1st
1988/89 9 N/A 2nd
1989/90 19 N/A 16
1990/91 – – –

Wins

No. Season Date Place Hill Size
1 1981/82 30 December 1981 West Germany Oberstdorf Schattenbergschanze K110 LH
2 28 February 1982 Norway Oslo Holmenkollbakken K105 LH
3 12 March 1982 Austria Tauplitz/Bad Mitterndorf Kulm K165 FH
4 1982/83 18 December 1982 Italy Cortina d’Ampezzo Trampolino Italia K92 NH
5 4 January 1983 Austria Innsbruck Bergiselschanze K104 LH
6 15 January 1983 United States Lake Placid MacKenzie Intervale K114 LH
7 16 January 1983 United States Lake Placid MacKenzie Intervale K114 LH
8 23 January 1983 Canada Thunder Bay Big Thunder K120 LH
9 18 February 1983 Norway Vikersund Vikersundbakken K155 FH
10 19 February 1983 Norway Vikersund Vikersundbakken K155 FH
11 20 February 1983 Norway Vikersund Vikersundbakken K155 FH
12 27 February 1983 Sweden Falun Lugnet K112 LH
13 26 March 1983 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Planica Srednja Bloudkova K90 NH
14 1983/84 18 February 1984 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Sarajevo Igman K112 LH
15 2 March 1984 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K88 NH
16 4 March 1984 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K113 LH
17 17 March 1984 West Germany Oberstdorf Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K182 FH
18 18 March 1984 West Germany Oberstdorf Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K182 FH
19 1984/85 4 January 1985 Austria Innsbruck Bergiselschanze K109 LH
20 9 February 1985 Japan Sapporo Miyanomori K90 NH
21 1 March 1985 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K88 NH
22 10 March 1985 Norway Oslo Holmenkollbakken K105 LH
23 23 March 1985 Czechoslovakia Štrbské Pleso MS 1970 B K88 NH
24 24 March 1985 Czechoslovakia Štrbské Pleso MS 1970 A K114 LH
25 1985/86 11 January 1986 Czechoslovakia Harrachov Čerťák K120 LH
26 17 January 1986 East Germany Klingenthal Aschbergschanze K102 LH
27 25 January 1986 Japan Sapporo Miyanomori K90 NH
28 26 January 1986 Japan Sapporo Ōkurayama K112 LH
29 1 March 1986 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K90 NH
30 2 March 1986 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K113 LH
31 22 March 1986 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Planica Srednja Bloudkova K90 NH
32 1986/87 7 December 1986 Canada Thunder Bay Big Thunder K120 LH
33 1 March 1986 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K88 NH
34 8 March 1987 Sweden Falun Lugnet K112 LH
35 1987/88 5 December 1987 Canada Thunder Bay Big Thunder K89 NH
36 6 December 1987 Canada Thunder Bay Big Thunder K120 LH
37 19 December 1987 Japan Sapporo Miyanomori K90 NH
38 20 December 1987 Japan Sapporo Ōkurayama K115 LH
39 1 January 1988 West Germany Garmisch-Partenkirchen Große Olympiaschanze K107 LH
40 4 January 1988 Austria Innsbruck Bergiselschanze K109 LH
41 6 January 1988 Austria Bischofshofen Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze K111 LH
42 20 January 1988 Switzerland St. Moritz Olympiaschanze K94 NH
43 4 March 1988 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K90 NH
44 6 March 1988 Finland Lahti Salpausselkä K114 LH
45 1988/89 17 December 1988 Japan Sapporo Miyanomori K90 NH
46 1 January 1989 West Germany Garmisch-Partenkirchen Große Olympiaschanze K107 LH

Personal life

Nykänen has been married several times:

Relationship with Mervi Tapola

Nykänen met millionaire sausage heiress Mervi Tapola in 1999,[4] and they were married from 2001 to 2003.[6] They were divorced in 2003, and remarried in 2004.[6] This marriage was tempestuous and gave rise to many well-publicised incidents: The first reported assault against Tapola occurred in June 2000, following which a restraining order was imposed upon Nykänen.[6] In 2004, Nykänen was handed a suspended sentence for assaulting Tapola again. Nykänen had already been accused of assaulting Tapola in 2001, but the charges were withdrawn because Tapola exercised her right to remain silent.[7]

In September 2005, while on probation for another assault, Nykänen was re-arrested four days after his release for again abusing his partner. Nykänen was convicted again and imprisoned for four months on 16 March 2006; Soon after that he stabbed a man in a pizza restaurant in Korpilahti.[7] In the summer of 2009 Tapola (then Tapola-Nykänen) petitioned for divorce a 14th time, but cancelled it.[8]

On Christmas Day 2009 Nykänen allegedly injured his wife with a knife and tried to throttle her with a bathrobe belt. He was charged for attempted manslaughter and held in custody by Tampere police,[7] but was released on 28 December after charges were dropped for insufficient evidence. On 24 August 2010 Nykänen was convicted of grievous bodily harm and sentenced to 16 months in jail[1] and ordered to pay 5,000 euros in compensation to his wife for pain and emotional suffering, and 3,000 euros for legal expenses.[9] In August 2010 Tapola made a 15th request for divorce.

Assault incident

On 24 August 2004, Matti Nykänen was arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter of a family friend after losing a finger pulling competition[10] in Tottijärvi, Nokia.[11] He was found guilty of aggravated assault and sentenced to a 26-month jail term in October 2004.[1] As it was a first offence, he was released from jail in September 2005.

As an entertainer

When Nykänen's ski jumping career was drawing to a close, a group of businessmen proposed to make him a singer. His first album Yllätysten yö was released in 1992 and sold over 25,000 copies.[12] Nykänen became the second Olympic gold medalist after Tapio Rautavaara to be awarded a golden record in Finland. The next album Samurai (1993) was not as successful.

At the end of the 1990s, due to serious financial problems, Nykänen worked as a stripper in a Järvenpää restaurant. The restaurateur was reproached for exploitation of Nykänen.[13]

In 2002 Nykänen made a comeback as a singer and released the single "Ehkä otin, ehkä en". He also gave his name to a cider brand with the same advertisement slogan.[14] In 2006 Nykänen released his third studio album Ehkä otin, ehkä en.[15] Most of his musical career Nykänen has worked with professional musician Jussi Niemi. Nykänen has toured Finland performing 2 to 3 times a week with the Samurai ensemble led by Niemi.[16]

Many of Nykänen's singles are named after some (in)famous quotes by Nykänen, such as Elämä on laiffii ('Life is life'), Jokainen tsäänssi on mahdollisuus ('Every chance is a possibility'), and Ehkä otin, ehkä en ('Maybe I did [drink], maybe I didn't').

In November 2009 Nykänen began to present his own cooking web series Mattihan se sopan keitti.

Discography

Biographies

Books

Cultural references

References

  1. 1 2 3 Young, Brett; Sarkar, Pritha (24 August 2010). "Ski jumping-Olympic champion Nykanen handed 16-month jail term". Reuters. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  2. ↑ http://www.home.no/hanslysaker/hopukvin.htm
  3. ↑ Holmenkollen medalists – downloadable pdf file.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Nykänen, Matti – 7 päivää". Seiska.fi. 5 October 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  5. ↑ "Nykäsestä Paanalaksi | Elävä arkisto". yle.fi. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 MTV3.fi: Matti ja Mervi yhdessä kymmenen vuotta
  7. 1 2 3 Satakunnan Kansa: Matti Nykänen viilsi keittiöveitsellä Mervi Tapolaa
  8. ↑ Helsingin Sanomat: Mervi Tapola-Nykänen veti pois avioerohakemuksen
  9. ↑ "Matti Nykäselle yli vuosi vankeutta | Tampere". yle.fi. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  10. ↑ MTV3.fi: Nykäselle yli 2 vuotta vankeutta
  11. ↑ MTV3.fi: Syyttäjä vaatii Nykäsen tuomion koventamista
  12. ↑ "Musiikkituottajat – Tilastot – Myydyimmät levyt". Ifpi.fi. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  13. ↑ YLE A-tuubi: A-Files 40V: Matti nykänen nakuna (video)
  14. ↑ "Olut- ja siideriviikot". City.fi. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  15. ↑ "Matti Nykänen – Ehkä Otin, Ehkä En (Albumi)". Noise.fi. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  16. ↑ Aluelehti Saimaa: Matti Nykänen Enonkosken Rantsussa
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Matti Nykänen (s. 17.7.1963) – Mattihan se sopan keitti". Sub.fi. 17 July 1963. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  18. ↑ "HS Sport 9.3.2004 – Matti Nykänen goes on the road to market his biography". Retrieved 29 March 2011.

Finnish

Norwegian

External links


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