When I was watching the javelin
qualification rounds of the Helsinki European Championships, I noticed a
prominent banner. Written in bold letters were the words: “Finland the
Javelin Country.” Indeed, the javelin throw is a national past time in
the Nordic countries. Of
the sixty-nine medals awarded in the event since 1896, a staggering
thirty-two medals had been won by troika of Sweden, Norway, and Finland. In fact, Finland had swept the medals twice in Olympic history.
The Euro Sport announcers then went on to
talk about a certain Tiina Lillak, and how she snatched the inaugural
World Championships gold on her final throw – in front of thousands of
ecstatic Finns.
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| Tiina Lillak circa 1983. (Photo from Jos Hendrix) |
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