Mika Kristian Halvari (born February 13, 1970, in Kemi) is a Finnish former shot putter. When competing, he represented Kemin Kunto and Helsingin Kisa-Veikot.
Halvari won the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Barcelona, Spain and came in second in the World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg, Sweden the same year. In 1998, he won a silver medal at the 1998 European Indoor Athletics Championships held in Valencia, Spain. In addition to his success internationally, Halvari has won 4 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze in the Finnish Championships.
Towards the end of his career, Halvari was injured numerous times; for example, his Achilles tendon snapped twice.
His personal best outdoors is 21.50 metres, which he put on July 9, 1995 in Hämeenkyrö, Finland. Indoors, he still holds the Nordic record for his put of 22.09 m, which he achieved on February 7, 2000 in Tampere, Finland.
Halvari was the 11th shotputter accepted into the 20 meter club.
Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Representing Finland | ||||
1988 | World Junior Championships | Sudbury, Canada | 7th | 16.78 m |
1989 | European Junior Championships | Varaždin, Yugoslavia | 5th | 17.96 m |
1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 25th (q) | 18.19 m |
1994 | European Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 8th | 19.48 m |
European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 4th | 19.52 m | |
1995 | World Indoor Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | 20.74 m |
World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 2nd | 20.93 m | |
1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 14th | 19.37 m |
1997 | World Indoor Championships | Paris, France | 6th | 20.22 m |
World Championships | Athens, Greece | 5th | 20.13 m | |
1998 | European Indoor Championships | Valencia, Spain | 2nd | 20.59 m |
European Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 6th | 20.33 m | |
1999 | World Championships | Sevilla, Spain | 16th (q) | 19.61 m |
2000 | European Indoor Championships | Ghent, Belgium | – | NM |
Jerome Young is an American former track and field sprinter who specialized in the 400-meter dash. He won gold medals with the United States 4 × 400-meter relay team at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and 1997 World Championships in Athletics, but was later stripped of these medals due to doping and was ultimately banned from the sport. He also was the heats runner for the relay team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, where the Americans won gold, but this medal was rescinded as well.
Allen Kenneth Johnson is an American former hurdling athlete who won the gold medal in the 110 metre hurdles at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also a four-time world champion.
Fermín Cacho Ruiz is a Spanish track and field athlete, winner of the gold medal in the 1500m at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the silver medal in the 1500m at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Jason Carl Gardener, is a retired British sprint athlete. A fast starter from the blocks, he won an Olympic gold medal leading off Great Britain in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2004 Olympic Games, and is also the 2004 World Indoor Champion, and a four-time European Indoor champion, at 60 metres.
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, nicknamed Leijonat / Lejonen, is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Finland is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the United States, Czechia, Russia, and Sweden.
Manuel "Manolo" Martínez Gutiérrez is a retired Spanish shot putter. Nicknamed the "Gentle Giant", his personal best throw outdoors is 21.47 metres and he has an indoor best of 21.26 m. These marks are the Spanish national records for the event. His international career lasted from 1992 to 2011 and he earned national selection on 84 occasions – the most by any Spanish athlete.
The 7th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the Green Dome Maebashi stadium in Maebashi, Japan from March 5 to March 7, 1999. It was the first time the Championships were staged outside Europe or North America. Primo Nebiolo, president of the IAAF, characterized the championships as "the greatest ever". There were a total number of 487 participating athletes from 115 countries.
Sunday Bada was a Nigerian sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres event. He won three medals at the World Indoor Championships, including a gold medal in 1997. His personal best time was 44.63 seconds, and with 45.51 seconds indoor he holds the African indoor record. He set a national record in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2000 Olympics, where the Nigerian team also won gold medals after the disqualification of the US team who had finished first.
Niurka Montalvo Amaro is a former Cuban and Spanish athlete who specialised in the long jump and triple jump events. Her greatest achievement came in 1999, when she became world champion with a personal best jump of 7.06 metres. She was the autonomous secretary of sport for the Autonomous government of Valencia.
Artur Jerzy Partyka is a former Polish high jumper and two-time Olympic medalist. He won twelve national titles in a row, starting in 1989. He represented ŁKS Łódź.
Mika Kristian Myllylä was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed from 1992 to 2005. He won six medals at the Winter Olympics, earning one gold, one silver, and four bronzes.
Agnese Maffeis is an Italian discus thrower and shot putter. She won six medals, at senior level, at the International athletics competitions.
Mika Tapani Vasara is a male shot putter from Finland.
Stephanie Storp is a retired female shot putter from Germany. Her best performance was winning the bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships, with a throw of 19.22 metres. She also won the silver medal at the 1993 World Indoor Championships, and represented her country in the Summer Olympics of 1992 and 1996. She ended her athletics career in 1998, having taken up basketball as a new sport.
Falk Balzer is a former German hurdler and the son of former East German hurdler Karin Balzer. He is best known for winning the silver medal at the 1998 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary and the bronze medal at the 1999 World Indoor Championships. He represented his native country at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Falk Balzer is the German national record holder in the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.41s.
Dragan Perić is a Serbian retired shot putter who occasionally competed in the discus throw. He holds the Serbian records in both events. He represented Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro in four consecutive Summer Olympics from 1992 to 2004, in eight World Championships from 1991 to 2005 and three European Championships from 1990 to 1998.
Mika Petteri Polku is a Finnish high jumper.
Andrés Manuel Díaz is a former Spanish middle-distance runner. He represented Spain at the Olympics in 1996 and 2000 and was the bronze medallist over 1500 metres at the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Mikko Johannes Halvari is a Finnish decathlete. He won a bronze medal for his category at the 2002 IAAF World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, with a solid score of 7,587 points. He is also a full-time member of Tuusulanjärven Urheilijat, a local track and field club in Tuusula, and is coached and trained by Jussi Välimäki.
Xavier Porras Santana is a Spanish paralympic sprinter and jumper who belongs to F.C. Barcelona and competes in the T11 / B1 category for blind athletes or athletes with a very reduced vision.