Juha TIAINEN

In absence of Eastern Bloc throwers, Finn Juha Tiainen and West-German Karl-Hans Riehm were considered as hammer throw favorites at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, with Tiainen edging Riehm by 10 cm in the Olympic final to win gold. Tiainen also competed at the 1980 and 1988 Olympics, at the 1983 and 1987 World Championships, and at the 1982, 1986 and 1990 European Championships. He was also a six-time Finnish hammer throw champion winning in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1990. By profession Tiainen was a police officer and, after finishing his athletics career, also worked as an athletics coach, but he died quite young in 2003 due to viral pneumonia.

Personal Best: HT – 81.52 (1984).