Juha Väätäinen
Toivo Juha Väätäinen (born July 12, 1941 in Piippola ) is a Finnish politician and former athlete .
Life
The 1.72 m tall and 58 kg heavy Väätäinen was the Finnish champion in the 800-meter run from 1965 and 1967 . Then he turned to the longer stretches. In 1971 he became champion in the 10,000-meter run and in 1972 in the 5000-meter run .
At the European Championships in Helsinki in 1971 , to the delight of the Finnish spectators, he won the 10,000-meter run on the very first day with a new Finnish record of 27: 52.8 minutes ahead of defending champion Jürgen Haase from the GDR (27: 53.4) and Raschid Sharafetdinov from the Soviet Union. The second Finnish representative Seppo Tuominen took 8th place and Lasse Virén was the third Finn in 17th place . A total of ten national records were set in this final.
In the final of the 5000-meter race four days later, Juha Väätäinen won again and again set a new Finnish record. With 13: 32.6 minutes he won ahead of Frenchman Jean Wadoux (13: 33.6) and Harald Norpoth from Germany. Lasse Virén finished seventh and Rune Holmén was the third Finn in twelfth place.
Juha Väätäinen was named Finland's Sportsman of the Year and Europe's Sportsman of the Year in 1971 .
A year later at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, the little Finnish teacher was no longer in the shape of 1971, Juha Väätäinen qualified for the Olympic final over 5000 meters, but only finished 13th and 13th in 13: 53.84 minutes last place after winning his prelim in 13: 32.8 minutes. Olympic champion, as well as over 10,000 meters, was Lasse Virén. Two weeks after the Olympic Games, Väätäinen improved his 5000 meter best at the sports festival in Rome.
In 1971 he was named Europe's Sportsman of the Year .
politics
Juha Väätäinen ran as a member of the National Assembly Party for a seat in the Finnish Parliament in 1972 , but was not elected. In the 2007 parliamentary election he was a candidate for the Center Party , but again missed a place in the parliament . In 2011 he finally ran successfully for the basic fins , who were able to achieve strong profits in the election. Väätäinen has been a member of the Helsinki constituency since April 20, 2011.
Top performances
- 5000 meters: 13: 28.4 minutes (1972)
- 10,000 meters: 27: 52.78 minutes (1971)
literature
- Ekkehard zur Megede: The Modern Olympic Century 1896–1996 Track and Field Athletics , Berlin 1999, published by the German Society for Athletics Documentation eV
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Väätäinen, Juha |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Väätäinen, Toivo Juha (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Finnish athlete and politician, member of the Reichstag |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 12, 1941 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Piippola |