Arsi Harju
- Born
- Mar 18, 1974 (52 years old)
- Birthplace
- Kurikka, Finland
- Events
- Shot Put
- Height
- 1.83 m
- Weight
- 115 kg
Arsi Ilari Harju (born 18 March 1974) is a retired Finnish former track and field athlete who competed in the shot put. He won the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He set his personal best of 21.39 in the qualification.
In the final, Harju secured the gold medal with his second round shot put of 21.29, beating silver medalist Adam Nelson by 8 cm and bronze medalist John Godina by 9 cm. In 2000, Harju was also named the Finnish Sports Personality of the Year. Harju was the 12th member to be inducted into the 20 metre club after achieving the distance of 20.16 on 2 March 1997, in Tampere, Finland.
Harju was a patron of UNICEF School walks in Finland. Harju retired from international competitions after the season 2005. He competed again from 2011 to 2012 marking 18.48 as his season best in both years.
As of Oct 28, 2026: Shot Put 21.39 (#111 all-time), 2012 season best 18.48 (Jun 14, 2012, Hämeenkyrö (FIN)) · Olympic Games: 1 gold · World Championships: 1 bronze · 52 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| World Championships | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | SP | 18.48 | – | Jun 14, 2012 | Hämeenkyrö (FIN) |
| 2011 | SP | 18.48 | – | May 21, 2011 | Tucson, AZ (USA) |
| 2005 | SP | 20.21 | – | Jul 15, 2005 | Finnish Championships |
| 2004 | SP | 19.61 | – | Sep 19, 2004 | Perho (FIN) |
| 2003 | SP | 21.00 | – | Feb 10, 2003 | – |
| 2003 | SP Indoor | 21.00 | – | Feb 10, 2003 | Mustasaari (FIN) (i) |
| 2002 | SP | 21.11 | – | Jul 14, 2002 | Lapinlahti (FIN) |
| 2001 | SP | 20.98 | – | Jul 22, 2001 | Lapinlahti (FIN) |