Finland 

Sipilä Retains His Crown Amidst the Slush

The pursuit of the 1929 national laurels commenced in May with the Cross-Country Championships, staged at Lappeenranta. The weather was, by all accounts, delightful, though the course itself was somewhat plagued by patches of snow and a rather disagreeable slush. A throng of nearly three thousand souls descended upon the venue to witness the spectacle.

Galloping to victory for the fourth and final time was Väinö Sipilä of Pälkäne. In the terminal scuffle, this newly betrothed swallower of kilometres left Elias Suoknuuti, Toivo Loukola, and Niilo Raukola a few seconds adrift – close enough only to study the intricate patterns of Sipilä’s boot-soles as he vanished into the distance.

Loukola Masters the Steeplechase – The Debut of Iso-Hollo

The Championships reconvened at the Eläintarha Sports Ground in Helsinki during the sweltering mid-July days, focusing on the relays, the 25,000 metres, the steeplechase, and the decathlon.

Martti Marttelin, the Olympic bronze-medallist of marathon fame, trotted to a most lopsided victory in the 25,000-metre grind. Having disentangled himself from the pack after the opening ten kilometres, the result was a foregone conclusion.

The Olympic sovereign Toivo Loukola paced himself to the top of the podium in the steeplechase with his customary clinical efficiency. However, behind him, a minor chapter of history was being penned. Scurrying into second place in his maiden voyage over the barriers was a certain Volmari Iso-Hollo, a future double Olympic champion who had recently migrated from the Workers' Sports Federation to the National Association. After securing the silver in Viipuri, he bid farewell to these aquatic excursions for a full three years; indeed, "Vomma" would not embark upon his second steeplechase until the Los Angeles Olympics in 1932.

The anticipated rematch between the Amsterdam Olympic decathlon duo failed to materialise. Paavo Yrjölä, the gold medallist, prevailed at Eläintarha, despite appearing – in the esteemed estimation of a correspondent – "rather indolent and disinclined." Meanwhile, his Amsterdam runner-up, Akilles Järvinen, opted to shun the multi-event toil entirely this year. For Yrjölä, the sturdy yeoman of Hämeenkyrö, this was his fifth consecutive triumph in the ten-fold labour.

“The Most Splendid Race in the World”

The main festivities were held in August at the familiar Papula ground in Viipuri, a short stroll north-east of the railway station. The sun graced the first day, while the second was dampened by rain; regardless, some four thousand spectators dragged themselves to the track-side over the weekend.

With Paavo Nurmi nursing his recalcitrant limbs and Ville Ritola having all but retired to the parlour, Toivo Loukola ascended the vacant throne of Finnish distance running. To his steeplechase trophy, he added the 5000m and 10000m crowns with performances of a decidedly international pedigree.

The 5000 was a contest of magnificent proportions – described, perhaps not entirely without merit by a columnist, as "the most splendid race in the world." The matter was settled only on the final straight, where Loukola uncorked a delectable spurt to clock 14:48.7. His final kilometre, scorched in 2:45.7, was whispered to be the briskest ever recorded by man. Kalle Matilainen was left three seconds in arrears. Loukola’s path to the dais was perhaps made smoother by the absence of Lauri Virtanen, who was competing on the other side of the federation divide.

The sheer depth of Finnish distance running was laid bare by the fact that the seventh man home secured the 19th spot in the world rankings with his time of 15:08.0.

Armas Wahlstedt (later Valste), the custodian of the Viipuri wireless station, demonstrated a peculiar mastery of both the high jump and the shot put. With the brass sphere, he set a new Finnish record of 15.40 (50-6¼)  on his third attempt. A superior mark of 15.66 (51-4½), dispatched at a local meet a fortnight prior, had been denied official status, though it slid into the district record books like a hand into a silk glove. Alas, the gold watch gifted by the Finnish-Americans remained unclaimed, as it required a heave of at least 15.50 (50-10¼).

Matti Järvinen Breaks New Ground

Matti Järvinen, a man destined for immortality in the annals of the javelin, opened his account in the national championships. He lunged into the upper echelons of the world rankings with a throw of 66.16 (217-0) – the fourth longest of the season. Eino Penttilä, a former world-record holder, was compelled to surrender by a margin of over a metre. Järvinen was no mere precocious youth; having finished fourth in the under-18s back in '26, his arrival was deemed "surprising" by the Uusi Suomi newspaper.

The Karjala newspaper could scarcely mask its enthusiasm:

"Young Matti – tall, lanky, and bespectacled – who had already surpassed the 60-metre mark this summer, threw with quite magnificent poise. Though only three of his six attempts cleared the chalk line—one being a foul—his second heave in the final, a soaring arc of 66 metres, suddenly redeemed everything."

Another remarkable career began in Viipuri as Martti Topelius (later Tolamo), a student of history from Mikkeli, secured his first golden double in the long jump and the pentathlon. He had already toyed with a bronze in the decathlon earlier in July.

In the sprints, Erkki Koponen registered a sharp 10.8 for the hundred. The time was refused record status because the timekeepers – rather over-eagerly – had clicked their watches at the sound of the bang rather than the sight of the smoke. The painter-sprinter made amends by repeating the feat later in the autumn.

Akilles Järvinen, taking a sabbatical from the decathlon, flattened the specialist Kalervo Pitkänen over the furlong. His time of 22.5, however, offered little in the way of festive cheer for the upcoming match against the Swedes.

Sjöstedt and the Elusive Record

Only two chaps bothered to turn out for the 110m hurdles: Bengt Sjöstedt, who had shown promise in Amsterdam, and the ubiquitous Akilles Järvinen. Järvinen managed to harass the gentleman from IFK Kruunuhaka until the third hurdle, after which Sjöstedt departed with some haste. He crossed the line in 15.3 – a mark finally ratified as an official Finnish record.

Erik Wilén, a man with a suitcase full of championship medals, bypassed the event. For the first time in fourteen years, the lad from Helsinki failed to secure a single personal medal in the Games. His career, however, was by no means "in the bag" (or out of it), as he would return to his winning ways in the 1930s.

The 1500  was bereft of its stars: Harri Larva (the 800m victor), Eino Purje (sojourning in America), Nurmi, and Armas Kinnunen were all elsewhere. This presented Leo Helgas with a juicy opportunity to snatch his first title, which he did with a brisk 250m dash to the tape.

Toimi Tulikoura, a future court official hopped, stepped, and jumped to 14.66 (48-1) – the tenth best mark in the world that season. With the three-time Olympic medallist Vilho Tuulos appearing but once that year, Tulikoura’s path was perhaps a trifle less congested, but titles, as they say, are awarded to those who bother to show up.

The club prize (the Kaleva Bowl) was finally carted back to the offices of Helsingin Kisa-Veikot after almost a decade's absence, bringing a swift conclusion to the fledgling dynasty of Tampereen Pyrintö.