Arto Bryggare
A trailblazer on the track who became Finland's first sprint medalist under 400m, then traded hurdles for the halls of parliament as a Social Democratic MP.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Finnish former hurdling athlete·Birthday: May 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Arto Bryggare carved a unique path through Finnish public life, first as a pioneering athlete and later as a politician. In the 1980s, he was the man who broke the mold in Finnish track and field, a nation known for distance runners. With his distinctive mustache and powerful stride, he specialized in the 110-meter hurdles, an event where Finland had no history of global success. He changed that at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, seizing the bronze medal and making history as the first Finn to podium in a sprint event shorter than 400 meters. His personal best of 13.35 seconds, set that same year, remains the Finnish and Nordic record decades later. Never one to be confined to a single lane, Bryggare later channeled his competitive drive into politics. He served two separate terms in the Finnish Parliament for the Social Democratic Party, applying the discipline from his sporting life to the complexities of national governance.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Arto was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arto Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Arto's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the bronze medal in the 110m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
- His personal best time of 13.35 seconds (1984) remains the national record for Finland and the Nordic countries.
- Served as a Member of the Parliament of Finland for the Social Democratic Party across two non-consecutive terms.
- Became the first Finnish athlete to win an Olympic medal in a sprint event shorter than 400 meters.
Did You Know?
He is easily recognizable by his prominent handlebar mustache, which became his trademark during his athletic career.
After politics, he has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for Finnish television.
He was awarded the Pro Urheilu award, a major Finnish sports prize, in 1984.
His Olympic bronze was Finland's only track and field medal at the 1984 Games.
“I was the first Finnish hurdler to break 13.50 seconds, and that changed everything.”
