Pauli Nevala has died.

The spear legend is gone.

Olympic javelin throw champion Pauli Nevala has died. His wife Mirja confirms the news.

Nevala was 84 years old when he died. He passed away on Friday from a rapidly progressing illness.

Nevala won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 1964 with a throw of 82.66. The performance was incredible, as the javelin thrower had been in a car accident just two months before the Olympics.

In addition to Olympic gold, the legend achieved silver at the European Championships in Athens in 1969. At that time, the pole flew 89.58 meters.

The summer of 1969 was wild for Nevala anyway, as the average of his top ten throws was as much as 90.12 meters.

Nevala’s record was 92.64. His career ended in 1971 due to a shoulder injury.

Nevala was awarded the title of Sports Counselor in December 2011.