Toni Nieminen

Toni Markus Nieminen (born 31 May 1975) is a Finnish former ski jumper who competed from 1991 to 2004, with a brief comeback in 2016. He is one of the most successful ski jumpers from Finland, having won both the World Cup overall title and the Four Hills Tournament in 1992, and three medals at the 1992 Winter Olympics. He remains the youngest ever Winter Olympic gold medalist, at 16 years and 261 days.

Nieminen is also known for being the first male ski jumper to land a jump surpassing 200 metres (660 ft), which he achieved in 1994 with a world record of 203 m (666 ft) on the ski flying hill in Planica. His achievements have made him a celebrated figure in the world of ski jumping and an inspiration for young athletes.

Career

Toni Nieminen had his biggest success in his first World Cup season in 1991/92. He was one of the first ski jumpers to master the new V-style technique.

Nieminen won his first World Cup event in Thunder Bay in December 1991. He then won the Four Hills Tournament with three victories and one second place. At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, he won gold in the large hill and team large hill events, and took bronze in the normal hill. That season, he won eight individual World Cup events and secured the overall title. He also won both the individual and team events at the World Junior Championships, and was named Finnish Sports Personality of the Year in 1992.

In later seasons, Nieminen showed less of his talent. In 1994, he became the first ski jumper to break the 200 metre barrier at Planica, with a world record jump of 203 m. After the 1991/92 season, he only won one more individual World Cup event, in Kuopio in 1995. In team events, he won once in Villach in 2001.

After retiring in 2004, Nieminen worked as a sports commentator for Finnish MTV3 and also competed in harness racing. He made a comeback in 2016, finishing 17th in the normal hill Finnish championship, with the goal of returning to the World Cup.

World Cup

Standings

Wins

Season	Overall	4H	SF	NT	JP
1990/91	—	—	—	N/A	N/A
1991/92			—	N/A	N/A
1992/93	50	—	—	N/A	N/A
1993/94	52	—	7	N/A	N/A
1994/95	11	8	31	N/A	N/A
1995/96	93	—	—	N/A	—
1996/97	92	56	—	—	89
1997/98	67	—	—	28	63
1998/99	—	69	—	—	—
2000/01	21	15	37	49	N/A
2001/02	31	33	N/A	—	N/A
2002/03	54	—	N/A	—	N/A

No.	Season	Date	Location	Hill	Size
1	1991/92	1 December 1991	Thunder Bay	Big Thunder K90	NH
2		29 December 1991	Oberstdorf	Schattenbergschanze K115	LH
3		4 January 1992	Innsbruck	Bergiselschanze K109	LH
4		6 January 1992	Bischofshofen	Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze K120	LH
5		29 February 1992	Lahti	Salpausselkä K90	NH
6		1 March 1992	Lahti	Salpausselkä K114	LH
7		11 March 1992	Trondheim	Granåsen K120	LH
8		15 March 1992	Oslo	Holmenkollbakken K110	LH
9	1994/95	1 February 1995	Kuopio	Puijo K90 (night)	NH

Ski jumping world record

Toni Nieminen made the first standing jump over 200 metres in history.