Comments on Nykänen's death: “Enjoyed the good life”

Athletic highs, personal downfalls – Matti Nykänen always moved between extremes. The Finnish ski jumping legend celebrated Olympic victories and set sporting standards, but was also in prison and made a name for himself through alcohol escapades. “Hell is not as bad as my life was for years,” the former exceptional athlete once described his experiences. Nykänen died on Monday night at the age of just 55.

The death of the former sports idol, who, according to the head of the Finnish Ski Jumping Association Mika Kulmala, had been ill for some time, sparked... former competitors and officials express deep sadness. “Today a great athlete left who was a great sporting role model for me as a young person,” said former world-class athlete Dieter Thoma to the German Press Agency.

“I was the center of attention for many years, everyone was around me. I was tired of it, it was too much. “I was unhappy and started putting up a wall inside myself,” Nykänen once said. He began drinking; for years the alcohol clouded his senses. With a beer belly and a puffy face, he tried his hand at being a stripper and pop singer after his ski jumping career. “I should never have drunk so much. When you drink, you live like you're in a bubble and you don't see any point," he said, describing that time.

Thoma: “He was a good person – when he was sober” Nykänen's private crash was very sad, said Thoma. “He was a very simple-minded person, but a very good person – when he was sober.” Nykänen actually just wanted to ski jump, but was taken advantage of, said Thoma. “He was too easily enthusiastic about alcohol, about women, about the whole topic and then enjoyed the good life. But unfortunately he didn't get the hang of things because he lacked a down-to-earth attitude and the right people around him. I’m really extremely sorry about that.”

The two-time Four Hills Tournament winner also came into conflict with the law. He was in prison after a knife attack on a friend. After his release in September 2005, he physically attacked his ex-wife.

“He was without a doubt one of the most important Finnish athletes of all time,” Sports Minister Sampo Terho wrote about Nykänen on Twitter. Next weekend the ski jumpers, Nordic combined athletes and cross-country skiers will be in Lahti. Nykänen will be remembered there in a special ceremony. Matti Nykänen: His sporting successes Winter Olympics: 1984 in Sarajevo: gold (large hill), silver (normal hill) 1988 in Calgary: gold (large hill), gold (normal hill), gold (team)

World Championships: Six gold medals: 1982 Oslo (large hill), 1984 Engelberg (team), 1984 Sarajevo (large hill), 1985 Seefeld (team), 1987 Oberstdorf (team), 1989 Lahti (team)

Four Hills Tournament: Two overall victories: 1982/83, 1987/88

Overall World Cup: Four wins: 1982/83, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1987/88

Ski Flying World Championships: 1985 in Planica: gold

World Cup victories: 46 individual victories in the World Cup

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Comments on Nykänen's death: “Enjoyed the good life”

Matti Nykänen was a great sporting idol. After his career, the Finn made numerous negative headlines with his private life. Now he has died. The news hits the ski jumping world hard.

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