Pörhölä won the gold medal in shot put at the 1920 Summer Olympics. He also competed in discus throw finishing in eighth place and in weight throw in which he was ninth. He later concentrated on work leaving his sports career behind him. He re-emerged in the sports scene as a hammer thrower in 1929, and later became an Olympic silver medalist in 1932 and European champion in 1934. At his last Olympics in 1936 he finished 11th.[2]
Nationally, Pörhölä won eight Finnish titles: in standing triple jump in 1922, in shot put in 1929–31 and in hammer throw in 1934–35. He also won the British AAA Championships title in the triple jump event at the 1922 AAA Championships.[3][4][5]His trademark was wearing a cap in competitions.[2]
After retiring from competitions, Pörhölä worked for a large Finnish timber company, eventually becoming its managing director. He also served as president of the Sports Federation of Lapland in 1946–50.[2]
Pörhölä originated from the island of Röyttä, near Tornio, and was known in Finland as Röyttän karhu ("The Bear from Röyttä").[2]
References
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