Hungary v Finland 

The idea of an international match against Hungary had been on the minds of Finnish sports officials since the 1910s. It wasn’t until 1930, however, that the plan materialised. A perhaps somewhat understaffed Finnish team made the journey by ship and train via Tallinn, Estonia, and Warsaw, Poland, to their only international competition of the season in Budapest.

The journey in sweltering, over 30°C heat took four days, leaving the Finnish team exhausted even before a single event had taken place. Their spirits were crushed in Warsaw when they heard about Hungary’s impressive results in their national championships.

Sprint Races Turn into a Finnish Disaster

The Finns were heavily defeated in the sprints. The Hungarians took first and second places in the 100m, 200m, and 400m. Although Bengt Sjöstedt managed to improve his personal best in his secondary event, the 200m, to 22.6 seconds, it wasn’t enough. István Sugár took a sweet victory with a time of 22.1, matched by István Raggambi. The 1000m relay also went to the hosts, despite Erik Wilén’s strong performance.

Sjöstedt performed well elsewhere, winning the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.1. However, it was not recognised as an official Finnish record, as too many hurdles were knocked down during the race. Veteran Erik Wilén secured second place, ensuring a double victory for Finland.

Olympic bronze medallist Eino Purje out-sprinted Miklós Szabó of Hungary in the 1500m. Szabó joined the sub-four-minute club by setting a national record of 3:59.8. Meanwhile, future Olympic 5000m champion Lauri Lehtinen had a quiet performance.

Two 1-2s for Finland’s Distance Runners

The Finns fared better in the longer distances. Volmari Iso-Hollo and Ilmari Posti claimed a double victory in the 5000m, and they repeated the feat in the 10,000m, although their positions were reversed.

Hungary's Lajos Balogh, who had impressed in his national championships, fulfilled expectations by winning the long jump with a distance of 7.31m (23-11 3/4). Martti Tolamo of Finland took second place with 7.20m (23-7 1/2).

Hungarian athletes had consistently ranked among the best in the world in shot put throughout the 1920s. József Darányi, eighth at the Los Angeles Olympics 1932, secured a dominant victory with a world-class throw of 15.23m (49-11 1/2). Petter Hassinen and Martti Alarotu, who took the next two places, complained that they had to use an iron shot, as no brass shot could be found in all of Budapest.

World-Class Javelin Showdown

Finland’s traditional strength, discus throwing, fell short of expectations. Hungary’s István Donogán defeated Finland’s Eino Kenttä, and Kálmán Marvalits out-threw Lauri Lindstedt, who settled for the remaining point.

The javelin event, however, saw a world-class competition. Matti Järvinen (68.25m, 223-11) and Eino Penttilä (66.86m, 219-4) ultimately overtook Béla Szepes, the Amsterdam Olympic silver medallist, who led in the early rounds with a throw of 66.40m (217-10), a new Hungarian record. The correspondent for Turun Sanomat was moved to proclaim: “One of the finest javelin competitions the world has ever seen.”

Järvinen’s throw was the 12th longest in the world in 1930. Ten of the 11 better throws also belonged to the "Maailman-Matti" ("World’s Matti.")

Hungary won the international match 85-76. In Finland, excuses began immediately after the loss. Through blue-and-white-tinted glasses, it was noted that the Hungarians had been able to train on snow-free fields for around four months, while the Finns had only aimed to peak in August.

Curiously, writer Yrjö Halme in Helsingin Sanomat surrendered unconditionally:

“We must get used to thinking, and have our men think, how small and insignificant we really are.”

Some of the Finnish athletes continued their Central European tour, travelling to Prague for an invitational meet immediately after the match. Järvinen and Kenttä headed to Stockholm.

The major Finnish newspapers sent correspondents to cover the matches in Budapest. However, attention at home was largely focused on the Talonpoikaismarssi (Peasants' March) in Helsinki that same weekend, where the far-right political movement  demonstrated against the government. The defeat in Budapest was largely overlooked, and if noticed, it was quickly forgotten amidst more serious concerns.