GetWiki

{{short description|Norwegian javelin thrower}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}{{good article}}

factoids

| birth_place = Kristiansand, Norway| death_date = | death_place = m=1.88}}90lbabbr=on}}| website = | country = {{NOR}}| sport = Track and field| event = Javelin throw| collegeteam = | club = Kristiansand IF| team = | turnedpro = | coach = Ã…smund Martinsen| retired = | coaching = | worlds = | regionals = | nationals = | olympics = | paralympics = | highestranking = List of Norwegian records in athletics>NR 91.59 m (2006)| show-medals = yes| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{Flag|Norway}} }}{{MedalOlympic}}{{MedalGold|2004 Athens | Javelin}}{{MedalGold|2008 Beijing | Javelin}}{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}{{MedalGold|2009 Berlin|Javelin}}{{MedalSilver|2005 Helsinki|Javelin}}{{MedalSilver|2007 Osaka|Javelin}}{{MedalSilver|2011 Daegu|Javelin}}{{MedalCompetition|European Championships}}{{MedalGold|2006 Gothenburg|Javelin}}{{MedalGold|2010 Barcelona|Javelin}}{{MedalCountry |{{flagicon|Europe}} Europe}}{{MedalCompetition|Continental Cup}}{{MedalGold|2010 Split|Javelin}}}}Andreas Thorkildsen (born 1 April 1982) is a retired Norwegian track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. He was the Olympic Champion in 2004 and 2008, European Champion in 2006 and 2010, and World Champion in 2009. He is the first male javelin thrower in history to simultaneously be European, World and Olympic Champion. He was also a three-time silver medalist at the World Championships, placing second in 2005, 2007 and 2011. His personal best of 91.59 m, set in 2006, is the Norwegian record.Andreas Thorkildsen. iaaf.org. Retrieved on 13 July 2017.

Personal life

Thorkildsen's father Tomm Thorkildsen is a former javelin thrower, achieving a personal best throw of 71.64 metres in 1974.NEWS, Bjørn Arne, Johannessen, - Skapt for spyd,weblink VG, 29 August 2004, no, 3 January 2007, WEB,weblink Norwegian all-time list – men's javelin throw, Norwegian Athletics Association, 1 January 2007, 17 March 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070306105922weblink">weblink 6 March 2007, His mother Bente (née Amundsen) became national champion in the 100 metres hurdles in 1972, representing Hamar IL.WEB,weblink Norwegian championships in 100 metres hurdles, Norwegian Athletics Association, 1 January 2007, 19 April 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070928000313weblink">weblink 28 September 2007, He has one older brother.NEWS, Jacob, Lund, Champagne i strie strømmer,weblink VG, 29 August 2004, no, 19 April 2007, He took his secondary education at Kristiansand Cathedral School.NEWS, Morten, Morell, Andreas Thorkildsen vant VM i spyd,weblink Kristiansand Cathedral School, 25 August 2009, no, 14 October 2009, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110724185702weblink">weblink 24 July 2011,

Relationship with Christina Vukicevic

Thorkildsen's relationship with the Norwegian hurdler Christina Vukicevic generated some unwanted publicity on his part.NEWS, Vidar, Enerstvedt, Kjæresteparet tok kongepokalene,weblink VG, 30 July 2006, no, 19 April 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070319084814weblink">weblink 19 March 2007, live, When Thorkildsen and Vukicevic won kongepokalen for men and women respectively at the 2006 Norwegian championships, Thorkildsen left the stadium to avoid photographers,NEWS, Magnar, Taule, Tok kongepokalen og stakk,weblink Bergens Tidende, 31 July 2006, no, 1 January 2007, whom he had shown the finger the previous day. In March 2011 Vukicevic and Thorkildsen announced in the Norwegian media that they no longer were a couple.NEWS, Atle, Jørstad, Brudd mellom Thorkildsen og Vukicevic,weblink Verdens Gang, 3 June 2011, no,

Modelling

In 2007, Thorkildsen performed as a fashion model for former footballer Martin Dahlin, fronting his winter and autumn collections.NEWS, Heidi, Løland-Andersen, Her er Andreas' modellbilder,weblink Fædrelandsvennen, 18 January 2007, no, 25 January 2007, 29 September 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070929084305weblink">weblink dead,

Career

(File:Andreas Thorkildsen.jpg|thumb|Thorkildsen at the GE Money Grand Prix in Helsinki, July 2005)Thorkildsen took up javelin throwing at the age of 11, and was coached by his father Tomm until 1999. He established numerous national boys' records as a teenager.WEB,weblink{D8BE9AB5-7178-4F6F-BE64-F903DC26BD60}.htm, Norwegian athletics records – boys, Norwegian Athletics Association, no, 1 January 2007, 17 March 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070928003221weblink">weblink 28 September 2007, dmy-all, In 1996 he set a national record for the 14 years' class (53.82 m), in 1998 for the 16 years' class (61.57 m), in 1999 for the 17 years' class (72.11 m), and in 2000 a record for the 18 years' class (77.48 m). In 1999 he finished seventh at the European Junior Championships.In 2000 Thorkildsen took his first medal at the Norwegian championships, finishing in silver medal position behind Ronny Nilsen.WEB,weblink Norwegian championships in javelin throw, Norwegian Athletics Association, 1 January 2007, 17 March 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070306105732weblink">weblink 6 March 2007, His form earned Thorkildsen his first call-up to the Norwegian European Cup team. In October he participated at the World Junior Championships and received a silver medal behind winner Gerhardus Pienaar from South Africa.

2001–2003

In 2001 Thorkildsen moved to Oslo and started competing for the club SK Vidar under coach Ã…smund Martinsen,Official site {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060825080159weblink |date=25 August 2006 }} a former javelin thrower who won the bronze medal at the 1994 Norwegian Championships, and had a career best throw of 68.12 metres. The cooperation proved fruitful as Thorkildsen soon broke the 80 metre barrier, throwing 83.87 metres at Fana stadion in June.WEB,weblink{3C67B98A-11EF-4005-89B9-E2087A9F83CA}.htm, Norwegian athletics statistics 2001 – jumping and throwing events, Norwegian Athletics Association, 31 December 2001, 17 March 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070930203707weblink">weblink 30 September 2007, dmy-all, This was a world junior record till 2011.WEB,weblink World Junior Records and Best Performances, GBR Athletics, Athletics Weekly, Athletics Weekly, 6 August 2006, 17 March 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070302190607weblink">weblink 2 March 2007, live, Participating in his second European Junior Championships, he won a silver medal behind Aleksandr Ivanov. Both competed at the World Championships in Edmonton, but while Ivanov managed to reach the final, Thorkildsen finished last in the entire competition with only 68.41 metres. When asked to comment on his own throwing he described it as "completely awful".NEWS, NTB, Norsk TelegrambyrÃ¥, Kastet for kort,weblink NRK, 11 August 2001, 25 January 2007, At the national level Thorkildsen became Norwegian champion for the first time. In August he competed in a discus throw meet at Sognsvann, establishing a personal best of 38.02 metres. He has not competed on national level in other athletic events.In 2002, he recorded a season best of 83.43 metres in June before witnessing his form gradually declining over the next months.WEB,weblink{F4DEE2E3-2D2C-40EC-A1F3-2A08B4296ECA}.htm, Norwegian athletics statistics 2002 – jumping and throwing events, Norwegian Athletics Association, 31 December 2002, 17 March 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070930185144weblink">weblink 30 September 2007, dmy-all, At his first European Championships, which were held in August in Munich, he again failed to progress from the qualifying round. With a best throw of 78.36 metres he finished fifteenth overall, 68 centimetres behind Ari Pakarinen who secured the last spot in the final.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20130414092606weblink">weblink dead, 14 April 2013, 2002 European Championships results, day 2, The Athletics Site, 7 August 2002, 17 March 2007, Although Thorkildsen only managed to take silver at the Norwegian championships behind PÃ¥l Arne Fagernes, his result of 83.43 metres was enough to front the national top list in javelin throw for the first time.Next year he finished eleventh at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, his first major international final. His performance and throw of 77.75 metres was slightly disappointing as he had thrown 79.44 metres in the qualifying round,NEWS, NTB, Norsk TelegrambyrÃ¥, Thorkildsen: – Kjipt,weblink NRK, 31 August 2003, 3 January 2007, having travelled to Paris with a personal best of 85.72 metres, established in June in Ventspils.WEB,weblink{CF5B1C75-5CAB-429E-8851-DB5B9EF4EEC2}.htm, Norwegian athletics statistics 2003 – throwing events, Norwegian Athletics Association, 31 December 2003, 17 March 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070609130222weblink">weblink 9 June 2007, dmy-all, On the lighter side he took his second national title, consolidating his spot as Norway's leading javelin thrower.

2004

In 2004 Thorkildsen faced competition from Ronny Nilsen, who threw 84.73 metres in May. Although Thorkildsen did not retake the national number one spot right away, he did display increasing form in the preparations for the Olympic Games. He qualified for the Olympics with an 84.12 m throw at the Bergen Bislett Games, an event which was won by Breaux Greer with a North American record and world leading throw of 87.39 metres.NEWS, NTB, Norsk TelegrambyrÃ¥, Thorkildsen klarte OL-kravet,weblink NRK, 12 June 2004, 25 January 2007, On 27 July Thorkildsen took his first victory in an IAAF Grand Prix meet, beating Breaux Greer by a comfortable margin at the DN Galan meet in Stockholm.NEWS, NTB, Norsk TelegrambyrÃ¥, Thorkildsen vant DN-galan i spyd,weblink NRK, 27 July 2004, 25 January 2007, Three days later he improved his season best to 84.45 metres at the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.WEB,weblink Norwegian athletics statistics 2004 – throwing events, Norwegian Athletics Association, 22 December 2004, 17 March 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20061211085137weblink">weblink 11 December 2006, File:Andreas Thorkildsen Europacup 2008.JPG|thumb|left|Throwing at the European Cup ]]Even though several throwers, including Nilsen, still towered above Thorkildsen on the world list,WEB,weblink Javelin Throw 2004, IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations, 31 December 2004, 4 April 2010, the Olympic javelin contest was regarded as widely open – "one of the most open finals in Olympic history", according to the IAAF Olympic coverage.NEWS, CT, Men's Javelin Throw – Qualification Round,weblink IAAF, 26 August 2004, 25 January 2007, Thorkildsen threw 81.74 m in the qualification round, barely earning a mention in the event report as he safely passed the automatic qualifier mark of 81 metres to go through to the final. Breaux Greer won the qualification with 87.25 m, but left the stadium in a limping state. In the javelin final held two days later, Thorkildsen opened with an 84.82 m release which saw him ranked third at the end of the first round. Vadims Vasiļevskis of Latvia had thrown a personal best of 84.95 m to earn a surprising lead ahead of reigning World champion Sergey Makarov. In the second round Thorkildsen threw a personal best of 86.50 metres. As neither Aleksandr Ivanov, Greer nor anyone else managed to beat this, Thorkildsen won a surprising Olympic gold medal with Vasiļevskis and Makarov staying in place to take the silver and bronze medals respectively. Thorkildsen became the second Norwegian man to win the Olympic gold medal in javelin throw, after Egil Danielsen in 1956. Commenting on his win, Thorkildsen described the feeling as "completely insane".NEWS, CT, Men's Javelin Throw Final,weblink IAAF, 28 August 2004, 1 January 2007, A second place behind Breaux Greer at the World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo rounded off the season.

2005

The most important event of 2005 was the World Championships. The preparations for this event looked promising for Thorkildsen as he improved his personal best to 86.82 metres in Kuortane in June, beating the Norwegian record of PÃ¥l Arne Fagernes. Tero Pitkämäki from Finland, who achieved a world leading result of 91.53 metres in the same competition, seemed a likely contender for the world champion title. In July, When Thorkildsen further improved his national record to 87.66 metres at the Bislett Games, reigning world champion Sergey Makarov had already thrown 90.33 metres two weeks earlier at the Russian Championships in Tula.NEWS, Rostislav, Orlov, Nickolai Dolgopolov, Fabulous results – 90 metres men's Javelin and 1:56 women's 800 m – Russian Champs, Day Two,weblink IAAF, 12 July 2005, 12 March 2007, Going into the World Championships, Pitkämäki was still in first place on the world top list ahead of Makarov and Thorkildsen, who in turn was ahead of Breaux Greer by one centimetre.WEB,weblink Javelin Throw 2005, IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations, 31 December 2005, 3 April 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100411084531weblink">weblink 11 April 2010, live, In the qualification round at the World Championships, held in windy conditions on the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, only Pitkämäki, Makarov and Thorkildsen managed to beat the automatic qualification mark of 81 metres.NEWS, IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations, Event Report – Men Javelin Throw Qualification,weblink IAAF, 9 August 2005, 12 March 2007, Rain supplemented the wind the following day, constituting difficult weather conditions for the javelin final. Thorkildsen, in the lead after three rounds with 86.18 metres, eventually finished in silver medal position behind Andrus Värnik of Estonia as the latter threw 87.17 metres in the fourth round.NEWS, IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations, Event Report – Men Javelin Throw Final,weblink IAAF, 10 August 2005, 1 January 2007, Pitkämäki, who finished a disappointing fourth at the World Championships, bounced back to win the World Athletics Final ahead of Thorkildsen, despite the latter improving his national record to 89.60 metres. 89.60 metres was enough to finish third on the world top list that season, behind Pitkämäki and Makarov.

2006–2008

(File:Andreas Thorkildsen Pékin 2008.jpg|thumb|Thorkildsen celebrating his gold medal in Beijing)In 2006 Thorkildsen returned to his original club Kristiansands IF, having represented SK Vidar in competitions the five previous seasons.NEWS, Norsk TelegrambyrÃ¥ (NTB), Thorkildsen tilbake til moderklubben,weblink Aftenposten, 2 June 2006, no, 1 January 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080213024406weblink">weblink 13 February 2008, In May he broke the 90 metre barrier for the first time, with 90.13 metres from the Doha Super Grand Prix.WEB,weblink Norwegian athletics statistics 2006 – throwing events, Norwegian Athletics Association, 31 December 2006, 17 March 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20061112024511weblink">weblink 12 November 2006, At the Bislett Games he yet again improved his record to 91.59 metres, reaching his goal of 300 feet.NEWS, NTB, Norsk TelegrambyrÃ¥, - Jeg kjente at jeg traff!,weblink NRK, 2 June 2006, no, 1 January 2007, As no one managed to top his 91.59 metre result, he entered the 2006 European Championships as a favorite, together with Tero Pitkämäki who had won the IAAF Golden League meet in Paris.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20121202235901weblink">weblink dead, 2 December 2012, Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint-Denis – 8 July 2006 – men's javelin throw, IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations, 8 July 2006, 17 March 2007, Thorkildsen won the event with 88.78 metres, having led the competition since the second round.NEWS, Tero Pitkämäki wins javelin silver in Gothenburg,weblink Helsingin Sanomat – International Edition, 2 June 2006, 1 January 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20061207220621weblink">weblink 7 December 2006, dead, Thorkildsen finished the season by winning his first World Athletics Final as well as the 2006 IAAF World Cup. With 91.59 metres he finished on top of the world list for the first time.WEB,weblink Javelin Throw 2006, IAAF, International Association of Athletics Federations, 31 December 2006, 3 April 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100411084141weblink">weblink 11 April 2010, live, Thorkildsen's main goals for the 2007 season were the Bislett Games and the 2007 World Championships in Osaka,NEWS, ANB, Avisenes NyhetsbyrÃ¥, VM og Bislett hovedmÃ¥lene, 22 December 2006, no, as well as winning the Golden League jackpot.NEWS, IAAF, Thorkildsen looks to spear $1 million Jackpot – IAAF Golden League,weblink IAAF.org, 23 April 2007, 23 May 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070527075318weblink">weblink 27 May 2007, live, In addition he aimed to beat the old record of Terje Pedersen, who threw 91.72 metres with the old javelin implement, by throwing in the range of 93 to 94 metres. The season started in a mediocre manner as he threw 81.10 metres in Dakar and 86.39 m in Doha.WEB,weblink Norwegian athletics statistics 2007 – throwing events, Norwegian Athletics Association, 16 May 2007, 23 May 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070930204057weblink">weblink 30 September 2007, He recovered his form at the world championships, but once again could only achieve a silver medal, this time losing to Pitkämäki finally fulfilling his potential with a throw of 90.33 (though he'd already been assured the medal by this point).In 2008 Thorkildsen won the Golden League event at Bislett in Oslo, his main goal besides the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He won a gold medal in the Olympics where he set a new Olympic record with 90.57 metres.NEWS, Rolleiv, Solholm, Beijing Olympics: Thorkildsen secured Norway's third Gold,weblink Norway Post, 23 August 2008, 23 August 2008, {{dead link|date=April 2010}} Thorkildsen dominated the competition, leading it from his first throw and making the two longest throws in the competition without using his last attempt. All of his 5 throws would have given a medal. Thorkildsen also won the javelin competition of the 2008 IAAF Golden League in Zürich on 29 August.NEWS, Rolleiv, Solholm, Golden League: Thorkildsen wins again,weblink The Norway Post, 30 August 2008, {{dead link|date=April 2010}}

2009–2016

He became the first male javelin thrower in history to hold all three titles of European champion, World champion and Olympic champion, winning IAAF World Championship in Berlin with 89.59 m. Thorkildsen also had the season's leading throw, with 91.28 m achieved in Zürich on 28 August.He opened his 2010 season with a large throw of 90.37 metres at the Florö Track & Field Festival in May and went on to score a victory over Pitkämäki in their first match up in the 2010 IAAF Diamond League at the Bislett Games, finishing with a best throw of 86.00 m.Ramsak, Bob (30 May 2010). Thorkildsen launches 90.37m blast in Florö {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025163013weblink |date=25 October 2012 }}. IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-06-06.Rowbottom, Mike (4 June 2010). Overview Disciplines – 04.06.2010 Javelin Throw – MenR {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714034937weblink |date=14 July 2010 }}. IAAF Diamond League. Retrieved on 2010-06-06. On 31 July he defended his European title with a throw of 88.37, finishing ahead of second-placed Matthias de Zordo.NEWS, Thorkildsen etter EM-gullet: – Det var digg!,weblink VG, 31 July 2010, no, 1 August 2010, De Zordo got his revenge next year when he won World Championship on 3 September at Daegu with Thorkildsen finishing second with a throw of 84.78.NEWS,weblink Jeg var heldig som fikk medalje i dag, NRK, 4 September 2011, 16 August 2017, no, In 2012 Thorkildsen finished fourth at European Championships in Helsinki only managing three throws with the best result of 81.55 metres after picking up an injury during warm-up.NEWS,weblink Thorkildsen trakk seg fra EM-finalen, NRK, 28 June 2012, 16 August 2017, no, At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London he threw 82.63 and finished sixth which became fifth several years later after disqualification of the original silver medalist Oleksandr Pyatnytsya for doping offence.NEWS,weblink Thorkildsen-fiasko i OL-finalen, Dagbladet, 11 August 2012, 16 August 2017, no, WEB,weblink IOC sanctions four athletes for failing anti-doping tests at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, 9 August 2016, 16 August 2017, NEWS,weblink Javelin Throw Men - The XXX Olympic Games, IAAF, 16 August 2017, Next year's World Championships at Moscow brought Thorkildsen a sixth place with a throw of 81.06 in what turned out to be his last appearance at a major championship competition.NEWS,weblink Javelin Throw Men - 14th IAAF World Championships, IAAF, 16 August 2017, Injuries forced him to bring his 2014 season to a premature end before the European Championships. He later decided to sit out the entire 2015 season but aimed at comeback in 2016. However, in May 2016 Thorkildsen announced his retirement from sports.NEWS,weblink Andreas Thorkildsen avslutter sesongen umiddelbart, Dagbladet, 23 July 2014, 16 August 2017, no, NEWS,weblink Thorkildsen gir opp Ã¥rets sesong, VG, 8 June 2014, 16 August 2017, no, NEWS,weblink Andreas Thorkildsen legger opp, TV2, 11 May 2016, 16 August 2017, no,

Awards

At the end of 2004 Thorkildsen was selected Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year by Norwegian sports journalists.NEWS, Sportsjournalistene kåret Thorkildsen,weblink VG, Rake, Jamel, Brenne, Øyvind, 31 July 2010, In 2008 he was awarded the European Athlete of the Year trophy by the European Athletic Association, announced on 2 October 2008, and to be presented at the European Athletics Awards Dinner in Amsterdam on 18 October.NEWS, Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) is the male Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year 2008.,weblink European Athletic Association, 2 October 2008, 2 October 2008,weblink 6 October 2009, dead, The Association cited Thorkildsen's success at the Beijing Olympics and his breaching of the 90-metre barrier as part of their reasoning for the award.NEWS, Javelin star wins award,weblink Aftenposten, 2 October 2008, 2 October 2008,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081003194930weblink">weblink 3 October 2008, live,

Seasonal bests by year

• 1998 – 61.57
• 1999 – 72.11
• 2000 – 77.48
• 2001 – 83.87
• 2002 – 83.43
• 2003 – 85.72
• 2004 – 86.50
• 2005 – 89.60
• 2006 – 91.59
• 2007 – 89.51
• 2008 – 90.57
• 2009 – 91.28
• 2010 – 90.37
• 2011 – 90.61
• 2012 – 84.72
• 2013 – 84.64
• 2014 – 80.52

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

{{Commons category|Andreas Thorkildsen}}

• {{World Athletics||name=Andreas Thorkildsen}}
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100107125836weblink">Norwegian international athletes – T {{in lang|no}}

{{Clear}}{{European Athlete of the Year (men)}}{{Footer Olympic Champions Javelin Throw Men}}{{Footer World Champions Javelin Throw Men}}{{Footer European champions javelin throw men}}{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions Javelin Throw Men}}{{Footer IAAF Diamond League Javelin Throw Champions Men}}{{Footer WBYP Javelin Men}}{{Authority control}}