Jüri Jaanson

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image = RE Jüri Jaanson.jpg

| caption = Jüri Jaanson in 2011

| headercolor = lightsteelblue

| nationality = Estonian

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1965|10|14}}

| birth_place = Pärnu, Estonia

| height = 1.92 m{{FISA|5046|Jueri JAANSON}}

| weight = 94 kg

| sport = Rowing

| event = M1x, M2x, M4x

| club = Pärnu Sõudeklubi

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCount

|Olympic Games|0|2|0

|World Championships|1|1|3

|European Championships|1|0|0

|Total|2|3|3

}}

{{MedalCountry | {{flagicon|Estonia}} Estonia }}

{{MedalCountry | {{flagicon|Soviet Union}} Soviet Union }}

{{MedalCountry | {{flagicon|Estonia}} Estonia }}

}}

Jüri Jaanson (born 14 October 1965) is the most successful Estonian rower of all time and the winner of five medals at World Rowing Championships.

Biography

Jaanson was born in Tartu, and had to overcome a particularly challenging childhood, brought on by a severe case of pneumonia at the age of 2. Doctors gave antibiotics which saved him, but which also left him almost completely deaf. He attended a school for the deaf until he obtained a primitive hearing aid at the age of 12, allowing him to attend a regular school. Still, being a loner, he struggled with fitting in. At Tartu University, when a coach introduced him to rowing, he took to it passionately, in fact so passionately that he left the university to focus on rowing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-07-21-1992203131-story.html|title=For Estonian, Barcelona place to show true colors Rower no longer cog in Soviet machine|website=Baltimore Sun|date=21 July 1992 }} He wears hearing aids on a regular basis and was also seen wearing them during his rowing competitions.

He became World Champion in Tasmania 1990 in the single sculls event. In 1995, he won the Diamond Challenge Sculls (the premier singles sculls event) at the Henley Royal Regatta, rowing for the Parnu Rowing Club.{{cite web|url=https://www.hrr.co.uk/results/?result-page=1&trophy=the-diamond-challenge-sculls |title=Diamond Challenge Sculls, List of past winners |website=Henley Royal Regatta |access-date=5 August 2024}}

In 2004 at age 38, he won an Olympic silver medal in the single sculls event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=26&sp=ROW "2004 Summer Olympics – Athens, Greece – Rowing"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818114720/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=26&sp=ROW |date=18 August 2008 }} In Beijing 2008 he won his second Olympic silver medal, this time in the double sculls event with Tõnu Endrekson{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldrowing.com/display/modules/news/dspNews.php?newid=324488|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080826073151/http://www.worldrowing.com/display/modules/news/dspNews.php?newid=324488|url-status=dead|title="First Finals day at the 2008 Olympic Rowing Regatta"|archivedate=26 August 2008}} and became Estonia's oldest Olympic medal winner with the age of 42 years, 10 months and two days.{{cite web|date=27 July 2021|title=Irina Embrich tõusis Eesti kõigi aegade vanimaks olümpiavõitjaks|url=https://sport.ohtuleht.ee/1039734/ol-tokyos-irina-embrich-tousis-eesti-koigi-aegade-vanimaks-olumpiavoitjaks|website=Õhtuleht}} He is a member of the SK Pärnu rowing club located in Pärnu. In 2007, Jaanson became the oldest rower ever to win a World Cup event at the age of 41 in Amsterdam.{{Cite web|url=https://worldrowing.com/2011/12/14/who-to-watch-in-lucerne/|title=World Rowing - Who to Watch in Lucerne|website=World Rowing}}

Jaanson is among four athletes to compete in rowing at six Olympics, with Romanian Elisabeta Lipă in 2004, Canadian Lesley Thompson (cox) in 2008, and Australian James Tomkins.

On 18 November 2010, Jaanson announced ending his career. In July 2011 he was awarded with the Thomas Keller Medal, the highest honor in rowing.{{Cite web|url=https://worldrowing.com/2011/12/08/jueri-jaanson-awarded-rowings-highest-distinction/|title=World Rowing - Jueri Jaanson awarded rowing's highest distinction|website=World Rowing}}

He is also a member of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu for the Reform Party.

Olympic Games

1988 Seoul – 8th Single sculls
1992 Barcelona – 5th Single sculls
1996 Atlanta – 18th Single sculls
2000 Sydney – 6th Single sculls
2004 Athens – File:Med 2.png Single sculls
2008 Beijing – File:Med 2.png Double sculls (with Tõnu Endrekson)

World Championships

1989 Bled, Yugoslavia – File:Med 3.png Single sculls
1990 Tasmania, Australia – File:Med 1.png Single sculls
1991 Vienna, Austria – 12th Single sculls
1995 Tampere, Finland – File:Med 2.png Single sculls
1997 Aiguebelette, France – 13th Single sculls
1998 Cologne, Germany – 14th Single sculls
1999 St. Catharines, Canada – 7th Single sculls
2001 Luzerne, Switzerland – 7th Single sculls
2003 Milan, Italy – 7th Single sculls
2005 Gifu, Japan – File:Med 3.png Quadruple sculls (with Andrei Jämsä, Tõnu Endrekson and Leonid Gulov)
2007 Munich, Germany – File:Med 3.png Double sculls (with Tõnu Endrekson)

European Championships

2008 Marathon, Greece – File:Med 1.png Quadruple Sculls (with Tõnu Endrekson, Andrei Jämsä and Allar Raja)

Rowing World Cup

Overall wins

Single sculls: 1990, 1995
Quadruple sculls: 2005
Double sculls: 2007

colspan="7" \| Jüri Jaanson Rowing World Cup appearances
class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size:90%"
#	Date	Venue	Country	Position	Class	Crew
colspan="7" \| 1990
style="background-color:#CC9966" \| 1.	5–7 April 1990	Mission Bay, San Diego	{{flagicon\|USA}} United States	FA 3rd File:Med 3.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 2.	11–13 May 1990	Mannheim	{{flagicon\|FRG}} West Germany	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 3.	1–3 June 1990	Rostadion	{{flagicon\|NOR}} Norway	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:#CC9966" \| 4.	29 June-1 July 1990	Bosbaan, Amsterdam	{{flagicon\|NED}} Netherlands	FA 3rd File:Med 3.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 5.	13–15 July 1990	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 1991
6.	5–7 April 1991	Mission Bay, San Diego	{{flagicon\|USA}} USA	FA 5th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
7.	8–10 April 1991	Piediluco	{{flagicon\|ITA}} Italy	FA 6th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
8.	24–26 May 1991	Wedau, Duisburg	{{flagicon\|GER}} Germany	FA 6th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
9.	31 May-2 June 1991	Hjelmsjoe, Örkelljunga	{{flagicon\|SWE}} Sweden	FB 7th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 1992
10.	3–5 April 1992	Mission Bay, San Diego	{{flagicon\|USA}} USA	FB 7th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
11.	1–3 May 1992	Fühlinger See, Cologne	{{flagicon\|GER}} Germany	FB 7th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:silver" \| 12.	29–31 May 1992	Bagsværd, Copenhagen	{{flagicon\|DEN}} Denmark	FA 2nd File:Med 2.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
13.	12–14 June 1992	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FA 5th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 1994
14.	15–17 July 1994	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FB 7th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 1995
style="background-color:gold" \| 15.	2–4 June 1995	Hazewinkel	{{flagicon\|BEL}} Belgium	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 16.	16–18 June 1995	Paris	{{flagicon\|FRA}} France	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 17.	30 June-2 July 1995	Henley-on-Thames	{{flagicon\|GBR}} Great Britain	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 18.	7–9 July 1995	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 1998
19.	29–31 May 1998	Oberschleissheim, Munich	{{flagicon\|GER}} Germany	FB 7th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 1999
20.	9–11 July 1999	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FB 12th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2000
style="background-color:#CC9966" \| 21.	1–3 June 2000	Oberschleissheim, Munich	{{flagicon\|GER}} Germany	FA 3rd File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
22.	23–25 June 2000	Vienna, Austria	{{flagicon\|AUT}} Austria	FB 8th	Double scull	(b) Tõnu Endrekson, (s) Jüri Jaanson
23.	14–16 July 2000	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	SA/B 2	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2001
24.	13–15 July 2001	Oberschleissheim, Munich	{{flagicon\|GER}} Germany	FA 5th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2002
25.	1–3 August 2002	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FB 9th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2003
26.	29–31 May 2003	Idroscalo, Milan	{{flagicon\|ITA}} Italy	R4	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
27.	19–21 June 2003	Oberschleissheim, Munich	{{flagicon\|GER}} Germany	FC 13th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2004
style="background-color:gold" \| 28.	7–9 May 2004	Lake Malta, Poznań	{{flagicon\|POL}} Poland	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
29.	18–20 June 2004	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	R1	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2005
style="background-color:gold" \| 30.	26–28 May 2005	Dorney Lake, Dorney	{{flagicon\|GBR}} Great Britain	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Quad scull	(b) Jüri Jaanson, Leonid Gulov, Tõnu Endrekson, (s) Andrei Jämsä
style="background-color:gold" \| 31.	8–10 July 2005	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Quad scull	(b) Jüri Jaanson, Leonid Gulov, Tõnu Endrekson, (s) Andrei Jämsä
colspan="7" \| 2007
32.	1–3 June 2007	Danube, Linz/Ottensheim	{{flagicon\|AUT}} Austria	FA 5th	Double scull	(b) Tõnu Endrekson, (s) Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 33.	22–24 June 2007	Bosbaan, Amsterdam	{{flagicon\|NED}} Netherlands	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Double scull	(b) Tõnu Endrekson, (s) Jüri Jaanson
style="background-color:gold" \| 34.	13–15 July 2007	Rotsee, Lucerne	{{flagicon\|SUI}} Switzerland	FA 1st File:Med 1.png	Double scull	(b) Tõnu Endrekson, (s) Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2008
style="background-color:#CC9966" \| 35.	20–22 June 2008	Lake Malta, Poznań	{{flagicon\|POL}} Poland	FA 3rd File:Med 3.png	Double scull	(b) Tõnu Endrekson, (s) Jüri Jaanson
colspan="7" \| 2009
36.	18–20 June 2009	Oberschleissheim, Munich	{{flagicon\|GER}} Germany	FC 12th	Single scull	Jüri Jaanson

References

External links

{{World Rowing}}
{{Olympedia}}
{{Olympics.com|juri-jaanson}}
{{EOK profile|7772}}
{{ESBL profile|Jüri_Jaanson}}

[https://web.archive.org/web/20110718120016/http://www.worldrowingmagazine.com/worldrowingmagazine/200708/?folio=9 World Rowing Magazine August 2007]
[http://www.worldrowing.com/athletes/jueri-jaanson World Rowing Magazine Athlete of the Month March 2010]

{{Succession box

| title = Estonian Sportsman of the Year

| before = Jaan Ehlvest

| after = Tiit Sokk

| years = 1990

}}

{{Succession box

| title = Estonian Sportsman of the Year

| before = Ago Markvardt

| after = Erki Nool

| years = 1995

}}