Quick Facts
GeminiBiography
Toni Markus Nieminen (born 31 May 1975) is a Finnish ski jumper. He is the youngest ever Winter Olympic gold medalist, at 16 years and 261 days.
Career
Nieminen's biggest success came in his first World Cup season in 1991/92. At the time, the transition from the Daescher technique to the V-style was taking place and Nieminen was one of the first to master the new technique.
Nieminen took his first World Cup victory in Thunder Bay, in December 1991. Then he went on to win the Four Hills Tournament with 3 victories and 1 second place. At the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, Nieminen won the large hill and the Team large hill, placing third in the normal hill. In the World Cup, Nieminen took a total of 8 victories securing also the overall title. Additionally, Nieminen won the World Junior Championship in both the Individual and the Team competitions. Nieminen was chosen as the Finnish Sports Personality of the Year 1992.
In the following seasons, Nieminen showed only glimpses of his great talent. In 1994, he became the first ever ski jumper to break the 200 metre barrier at Planica, with a world record of 203 m. Out of his total of 9 individual World Cup victories, only one came after the 1991/92 season, in Kuopio 1995. In World Cup team competitions, Nieminen scored one victory, in Villach 2001.
After retiring from ski jumping in 2004, Nieminen has worked as a sports commentator for Finnish MTV3. He has also competed as a driver in harness racing.
Nieminen made a comeback on 30 January 2016 finishing 17th in normal hill Finnish championship. Nieminen said that his target is to make a comeback to the World Cup.
World Cup
Standings
| Season | Overall | 4H | SF | NT | JP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990/91 | – | – | – | N/A | N/A |
| 1991/92 | 01 ! | 01 ! | – | 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 |
Wins
| 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 |