Aatu Kangasniemi
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| Nationality | Finnish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 February 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | Shot put, Hammer throw | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | Shot Put: 18.28m (Kuortane, 2025) Hammer: 67.27m (Espoo, 2025) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Aatu Kangasniemi (born 25 February 2006) is a Finnish hammer thrower and shot putter.[1]
Career
Kangasniemi is from Askola in Finland.[2] Showing aptitude for throwing events at a young age, in 2020 he threw a four-kilogram hammer in Nastola to 73.47 meters, which set a new Finnish age-group record for 14-year-old boys.[3] Whilst competing as a member of Nurmijärvi Athletics in 2021, threw the hammer in Lohja to 81.96 metres, to set a Finnish record for 15-year-olds.[4]
The following year, at the age of 16 years-old, Kangasniemi won silver in the hammer throw at the 2022 European Athletics U18 Championships in Jerusalem, Israel, with a personal best of 77.74 m. He also won the bronze medal in the shot put on the same day, with a personal best of 19.48 metres.[5] At the 2023 European Youth Olympic Festival in Maribor, Slovenia, Kangasniemi won two silver medals in the shot put and hammer throw.[6][7]
Competing at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, in August 2024, he placed seventh in the final of the hammer throw.[8] In September 2024, Kangasniemi set the Finnish record for the men's shot put by an 18 year-old outdoors, with an effort of 17.70 meters.[9] Kangasniemi finished second in the shot put at the 2025 senior Finnish Indoor Athletics Championships in Kuortane, with a personal best distance of 18.28 metres with the senior weighted shot put.[10]
In July 2025, he was selected for the 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.[11] He won the bronze medal in the hammer throw, throwing 74.41 metres, to finish behind compatriot Mico Lampinen and Armin Szabados of Hungary.[12][13] On the same day, he also won a silver medal in the shot put at the championships.[14][15]
References
- ^ "Aatu Kangasniemi". World Athletics. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ "Aatu Kangasniemi, 19, hopes the attention will bring more sponsors". lansivayla.fi. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 1 Nov 2025.
- ^ "Aatu Kangasniemi threw the hammer for a new age record – Other top results for the young people from Itä-Uusimaa". Itsvayla.fi. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 1 Nov 2025.
- ^ "Aatu Kangasniemi from Askola hammered over 80 meters in Lohja and improved his previous SE result". uusimaa.fi. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 1 Nov 2025.
- ^ "Aatu Kangasniemi, 16, won two European Athletics Championships medals on the same day: "Now I can go to bed with a good mood"". hs.fi. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Kangasniemi työnsi hopeaa Euroopan nuoriso-olympiafestivaalissa – Touru kuudes keihäänheitossa – Kolme suomalaista finaaleihin". yleisurheilu.fi. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Sankar, Vimal (28 July 2023). "Szabados and Montauban bag hammer throw and hurdles gold at Maribor 2023". Inside the Games. Retrieved 1 Nov 2025.
- ^ "Aatu Kangasniemi 7th in the World Junior Hammer Throw Final". yle.fi. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 1 Nov 2025.
- ^ "Aatu Kangasniemi työnsi ulkona pidemmälle, kuin kukaan toinen 18-vuotiaana – Porvari heitti jälleen yli 80 metriä". 14 Sep 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Finnish Indoor Championships". World Athletics. 22 Feb 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Final entries published for 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships". European Athletics. 29 Jul 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ^ "Great hammer final! Mico Lampinen takes silver, Aatu Kangasniemi takes bronze". yle.fi. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "European Athletics U20 Championships". World Athletics. 10 August 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Yle: Finland secures best U20 athletics medal haul in decades". Helsinki Times. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Mico Lampinen takes silver at the European Championships with a record throw, Aatu Kangasniemi has a stunning two-medal day". yle.fi. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.