thumb|The longest jump at the ski jumping stadium in Laajavuori, [[Jyväskylä is called Matti Nykänen Hill (previously called Laajavuori Ski Jump Hill)]]
Matti Ensio Nykänen (; 17 July 1963 – 4 February 2019) was a Finnish ski jumper who competed from 1981 to 1991. Known as "The Flying Finn", he is one of the most successful ski jumpers of all time, having won five Winter Olympic medals (four gold), nine World Championship medals (five gold), and 22 Finnish Championship medals (14 gold). He died in 2019 at the age of 55, suffering from chronic pancreatitis.
Ski jumping career
thumb|right|200px|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 history 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 (later surpassed by the current record-holder Gregor Schlierenzauer, Austria) and won the overall title four times (also a record, currently shared with Adam Małysz of Poland).
He won the prestigious Four Hills Tournament twice. He competed in the FIS Ski Flying World Championships five times and won a medal every time. Nykänen also won the ski jumping competition at the Holmenkollen ski festival twice (1982, 1985). In 1987, Nykänen was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal (shared with Hermann Weinbuch).
On 28 February 2008, he won the International Masters Championship for veteran ski jumpers.
The only one with five world records
On 16 March 1984, he set ski jumping world distance record on official training twice at 182 metres (597 ft). And on the next day at 185 metres (607 ft), all three in Oberstdorf, West Germany.
On 15 March 1985, he set two ski jumping world distance records on official training at 187 metres (614 ft) and at 191 metres (627 ft), both of them on Velikanka bratov Gorišek in Planica, Yugoslavia.
Olympic Games
Standings
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="background:#fff; border-collapse:collapse ;"
|- "
!style="width:125px;"|Event
!style="width:65px;"|Normal hill
!style="width:65px;"|Large hill
!style="width:65px;"|Team
|-
| align=left | 1984 Sarajevo
! style="background-color:silver" | Silver
! style="background-color:gold" | Gold
| align=center|N/A
|-
| align=left | 1988 Calgary
! style="background-color:gold" | Gold
! style="background-color:gold" | Gold
! style="background-color:gold" | Gold
|}
World Cup
Standings
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:86%; text-align:center; background:#ffffff;"
! style="background-color:#369; color:white; width:60px;" | Season
! style="background-color:#4180be; color:white; width:55px;"|Overall
! style="background-color:#4180be; color:white; width:55px;"|
! style="background-color:#4180be; color:white; width:55px;"|
|-
! scope=row align=center|1980/81
| align=center|26 || align=center| — || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1981/82
| align=center|4 || align=center|11 || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1982/83
| align=center bgcolor=#D4AF37| || align=center bgcolor=#D4AF37| || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1983/84
| align=center bgcolor=silver| || align=center bgcolor=#A57164| || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1984/85
| align=center bgcolor=#D4AF37| || align=center bgcolor=silver| || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1985/86
| align=center bgcolor=#D4AF37| || align=center| — || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1986/87
| align=center|6 || align=center|65 || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1987/88
| align=center bgcolor=#D4AF37| || align=center bgcolor=#D4AF37| || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1988/89
| align=center|9 || align=center bgcolor=silver| || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1989/90
| align=center|19 || align=center|16 || align=center|N/A
|-
! scope=row align=center|1990/91
| align=center| — || align=center| — || align=center| —
|}
Wins
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:86%; line-height:15px; text-align:left; background:#ffffff;"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! style="background-color:#369; color:white; width:10px;"| No.
! style="background-color:#369; color:white; width:30px;"| Season
! style="background-color:#4180be; color:white; width:105px;"| Date
! style="background-color:#4180be; color:white; width:165px;"| Location
! style="background-color:#4180be; color:white; width:200px;"| Hill
! style="background-color:#4180be; color:white; width:25px;"| Size
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|1
| rowspan=3 align=center|1981/82 || align=right|30 December 1981 || Oberstdorf || Schattenbergschanze K110 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|2
| align=right|28 February 1982 || Oslo (WCS)|| Holmenkollbakken K105 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|3
| align=right|12 March 1982 || Tauplitz/Bad Mitterndorf || Kulm K165 || align=center|FH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|4
| rowspan=10 align=center|1982/83 || align=right|18 December 1982 || Cortina d’Ampezzo || Trampolino Italia K92 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|5
| align=right|4 January 1983 || Innsbruck || Bergiselschanze K104 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|6
| align=right|15 January 1983 || Lake Placid || MacKenzie Intervale K114 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|7
| align=right|16 January 1983 || Lake Placid || MacKenzie Intervale K114 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|8
| align=right|23 January 1983 || Thunder Bay || Big Thunder K120 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|9
| align=right|18 February 1983 || Vikersund || Vikersundbakken K155 || align=center|FH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|10
| align=right|19 February 1983 || Vikersund || Vikersundbakken K155 || align=center|FH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|11
| align=right|20 February 1983 || Vikersund || Vikersundbakken K155 || align=center|FH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|12
| align=right|27 February 1983 || Falun || Lugnet K112 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|13
| align=right|26 March 1983 || Planica || Srednja Bloudkova K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|14
| rowspan=5 align=center|1983/84 || align=right|18 February 1984 || Sarajevo (OWG)|| Igman K112 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|15
| align=right|2 March 1984 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K88 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|16
| align=right|4 March 1984 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K113 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|17
| align=right|17 March 1984 || Oberstdorf || Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K182 || align=center|FH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|18
| align=right|18 March 1984 || Oberstdorf || Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K182 || align=center|FH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|19
| rowspan=6 align=center|1984/85 || align=right|4 January 1985 || Innsbruck || Bergiselschanze K109 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|20
| align=right|9 February 1985 || Sapporo || Miyanomori K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|21
| align=right|1 March 1985 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K88 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|22
| align=right|10 March 1985 || Oslo || Holmenkollbakken K105 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|23
| align=right|23 March 1985 || Štrbské Pleso || MS 1970 B K88 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|24
| align=right|24 March 1985 || Štrbské Pleso || MS 1970 A K114 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|25
| rowspan=7 align=center|1985/86 || align=right|11 January 1986 || Harrachov || Čerťák K120 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|26
| align=right|17 January 1986 || Klingenthal || Aschbergschanze K102 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|27
| align=right|25 January 1986 || Sapporo || Miyanomori K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|28
| align=right|26 January 1986 || Sapporo || Ōkurayama K112 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|29
| align=right|1 March 1986 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|30
| align=right|2 March 1986 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K113 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|31
| align=right|22 March 1986 || Planica || Srednja Bloudkova K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|32
| rowspan=3 align=center|1986/87 || align=right|7 December 1986 || Thunder Bay || Big Thunder K120 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|33
| align=right|1 March 1987 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K88 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|34
| align=right|8 March 1987 || Falun || Lugnet K112 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|35
| rowspan=10 align=center|1987/88 || align=right|5 December 1987 || Thunder Bay || Big Thunder K89 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|36
| align=right|6 December 1987 || Thunder Bay || Big Thunder K120 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|37
| align=right|19 December 1987 || Sapporo || Miyanomori K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|38
| align=right|20 December 1987 || Sapporo || Ōkurayama K115 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|39
| align=right|1 January 1988 || Garmisch-Partenkirchen || Große Olympiaschanze K107 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|40
| align=right|4 January 1988 || Innsbruck || Bergiselschanze K109 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|41
| align=right|6 January 1988 || Bischofshofen || Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze K111 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|42
| align=right|20 January 1988 || St. Moritz || Olympiaschanze K94 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|43
| align=right|4 March 1988 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|44
| align=right|6 March 1988 || Lahti || Salpausselkä K114 || align=center|LH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|45
| rowspan=2 align=center|1988/89 || align=right|17 December 1988 || Sapporo || Miyanomori K90 || align=center|NH
|-
! scope=row style="text-align:center;"|46
| align=right|1 January 1989 || Garmisch-Partenkirchen || Große Olympiaschanze K107 || align=center|LH
|}
Ski jumping world records
He set five world records in total, the most of any ski jumper in history.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"
! width="100"|Date
! width="220"|Hill
! width="160"|Location
! width="54"|Metres
! width="54"|Feet
|-
| align=right|16 March 1984
| Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K182
| Oberstdorf, West Germany
| align=center|182
| align=center|597
|-
| align=right|16 March 1984
| Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K182
| Oberstdorf, West Germany
| align=center|182
| align=center|597
|-
| align=right|17 March 1984
| Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze K182
| Oberstdorf, West Germany
| align=center|185
| align=center|607
|-
| align=right|15 March 1985
| Velikanka bratov Gorišek K185
| Planica, Yugoslavia
| align=center|187
| align=center|614
|-
| align=right|15 March 1985
| Velikanka bratov Gorišek K185
| Planica, Yugoslavia
| align=center|191
| align=center|627
|}
Personal life
thumb|Matti Nykänen in [[Finnish military service, 1984]]
Nykänen was married six times:
- Tiina Hassinen (1986–1988), one son
- Pia Hynninen (1989–1991), one daughter)
- Mervi Tapola (2001–2003, remarried 2004–2010)
- Pia Talonpoika (2014– his death)
Relationship with Mervi Tapola
thumb|left|Matti Nykänen's Olympic, World Championship and Finnish Medals at the Sports Museum. The collection is owned by the Finnish Sports Museum Foundation
Nykänen met millionaire “sausage heiress” Mervi Tapola (1954–2019) in 1999,
They got divorced in 2003, and remarried again in 2004.
In September 2005, while on probation for another assault, Nykänen was re-arrested four days after his release for abusing his partner again. Nykänen was convicted and imprisoned for four months on 16 March 2006. Soon after his release, he stabbed a man in a pizza restaurant in Korpilahti.
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, In August 2010, Tapola made a 15th request for divorce.
Assault incident
On 24 August 2004, Nykänen was arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter of a family friend after losing a finger pulling competition in Tottijärvi, Nokia. In October 2004, he was found guilty of aggravated assault, and sentenced to 26 months in prison. Nykänen became the second Olympic gold medalist after Tapio Rautavaara to be awarded a golden record in Finland. His 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.
In 2002, Nykänen made a comeback as a singer and released the single "Ehkä otin, ehkä en" ("Maybe I took [it], maybe I didn't"). He also gave his name to a cider brand with the same advertisement slogan. In 2006 Nykänen released his third studio album Ehkä otin, ehkä en (Maybe I took it, maybe I didn't). During most of his musical career, Nykänen worked with professional musician Jussi Niemi. Nykänen toured Finland performing two to three times a week with the Samurai ensemble led by Niemi.
thumb|Matti Nykänen at the [[Kiuruvesi music event in 2013]]
Many of Nykänen's singles were 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.
In November 2009, Nykänen began to present his own cooking web series Mattihan se sopan keitti (Matti cooked the soup).
ADHD diagnosis
In the early 2000s, Nykänen was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Death
Matti Nykänen died at his home in Lappeenranta, shortly after midnight on 4 February 2019, from a sudden illness, at the age of 55. He had complained of dizziness and nausea earlier that night. He had been diagnosed with diabetes less than three months earlier. The news of his death was widely reported by the media both in Finland and abroad, with many tributes also paid to him by fellow ski jumpers of his time. He was survived by his fifth wife and three children, In May 2019 Nykänen's sisters confirmed that the cause of death was pancreatitis and pneumonia.
In popular culture
- In 1988 DPR Korea issued a postage stamp depicting Nykänen in the flight during competition.
- In 2016, Swedish actor Edvin Endre portrayed Nykänen, in the British biographical sports film Eddie the Eagle.
Discography
- Yllätysten yö (1992)
- Samurai (1993)
- Ehkä otin, ehkä en (2006)
Biographies
- A film about the life of Nykänen, simply entitled Matti, was released in 2006 with Finnish actor Jasper Pääkkönen cast as Nykänen. The movie focused on Nykänen's exploits beyond ski jumping.
Books
- Matti Nykänen, Päivi Ainasoja and Manu Syrjänen: Mattihan se sopan keitti (2007)
- Juha-Veli Jokinen: Missä me ollaan ja oonko mäkin siellä (2007) (the English version of the book Greetings from Hell was published in January 2006)
- Antero Kujala: Voittohyppy (1999)