Soini Nikkinen

Soini Nikkinen was a Finnish javelin thrower at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, placing 12th and 8th respectively. His greatest international achievement came in winning a bronze medal at the 1954 European Championships. He won one Finnish title and had four silver and three bronze medals at the Finnish Championships. Nikkinnen set three Finnish javelin records, the last of which, 83.56 metres set in Kuhmoinen on 24 June 1956, was also a world record, although it lasted for only six days before it was surpassed by Poland’s Janusz Sidło.

Nikkinen worked for many years as the groundsman at Pajulahti Sports Institute near Lahti. A skillful carpenter, his cabinet clocks were known all over Finland for their beauty, many of them given as victory prizes at the Pihtipudas Javelin Carnival.

Personal Best: JT – 83.56 (1956).