Tomas Järvinen
Tomas Järvinen trains and competes in the decathlon, the top event in athletics. As a dual national of Finland and the Czech Republic, Tomas' trophy cabinet includes championship medals from several junior series from both Finland and the Czech Republic. His best results in recent years have become from the long jump, high jump, and hurdling. There is still a long way to go to adult level, but the current results and potential are promising.
Sport, study and leisure time
Tomas is currently studying at a sports-oriented high school in Prague, majoring in marketing, and will graduate in 2025. His hobbies have included tennis, football, floorball, and hip hop dancing. "Since I was a little boy, I've always liked all sports, including sports other than athletics. But in athletics I was good at a lot of sports, so it was kind of natural to focus on the decathlon. That's where your overall performance becomes excellent when you're at least good at everything." Tomas says.
Last year, Tomas took the SE points in the M-17 decathlon (7510p). That placed him 4th in the world rankings. He scored 5512 in the Hall 7 event and won the silver medal in the M-19 series at the Czech Championships. The result lifted Tomas to 5th place in the 2023 World M-19 series. The ranking is number one for 18-year-olds and the best ever result for an 18-year-old in Finland.
After school and training, Tomas tries to spend his free time with friends and family. "The more training and competitions I have, the less free time it means. But when you enjoy training and competing, it's not work anymore, it's kind of leisure as well."
After high school, the importance and contribution of the decathlon will grow even more. Tomas aspires to be a professional athlete after high school. Then he plans to take bigger steps towards the absolute top level of the world’s decathlon top.
Towards the goals
The target for 2023 is to approach the 8,000-point mark. Tomas has set the U20 European Championships in Jerusalem in August as his main goal for the summer. The aim is to win a medal there. In addition, the Lahti Kalevan Games are important. For Tomas, it is his home games, as he lives in Lahti and represents Lahti Ahkera when he is in Finland.
The main goal for 2024 is to cross the 8,000-point barrier and fight for the decathlon medal at the U20 World Championships, even the championship. In 2025 and beyond, the aim is to go with the #StepByBabystep idea towards the top of the adult decathlon world ranking. "The dream is to be on the podium at the 2032 Olympics," Tomas says.
"As an athlete, I am motivated to improve both in results and in learning of new things. Of course, medals and championships are motivating, but learning the parts and improving the whole are important motivators for me. I live my life with a smile, step by step and knowing the idea of #NeverReadyAlwaysReady, which means that in decathlon you’re never ready but you always have to be ready," Tomas says.