Pauli Nevala

Pauli Lauri Nevala (30 November 1940 – 20 June 2025) was a Finnish javelin thrower.

Biography His first major international meet was the 1962 European Athletics Championships in Belgrade, where he went out in the qualification round. The next year saw him step up to the very upper echelon of javelin throwers with his new personal best (and national record) of 86.33 meters, thrown in Helsinki on 16 July 1963. This was very close to the world record at the time (86.74 m).

In the Olympic year 1964 however, Nevala had major problems even breaking 80 meters and did not enter the Tokyo Olympics as a favorite. He cleared the Olympic qualification quite easily while the world record holder, Terje Pedersen of Norway, was knocked out – the first man not to qualify. In the final Nevala threw confidently from the start, and took the lead with his fourth throw of 82.66 m, his best that year. This was eventually enough for a victory, narrowly ahead of Gergely Kulcsár.

In 1969, Nevala's career had a major resurgence, as he finally broke his six-year-old personal best multiple times, culminating in a 91.40 m throw in his hometown of Teuva. At the 1969 European Championships, Nevala took the silver medal behind Jānis Lūsis of the Soviet Union. Nevala later openly attributed this resurgence to anabolic steroids, which were not yet forbidden at the time.

Nevala and Kinnunen intentionally fouled all their qualification throws at the 1970 Finnish Championships as a protest against the Finnish Amateur Athletic Association. The protest eventually led to an improved stipend system.

Nevala's career suddenly ended in April 1971 when, in his very first competition of the year in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, he injured his shoulder so badly he could never throw seriously again.