Finnish javelin thrower Tero Pitkamaki was voted the best athlete of the year by the Sportswriters' Association of Finland Tuesday night.

Pitkamaki made his mark this year by winning a gold medal at the Athletics World Championships in Osaka, Japan, this summer.

In second place was skier Virpi Kuitunen. She took home three gold medals from the championships in Sapporo, won the new Tour de Ski tournament and topped it all off with a World Cup Championship, said Finland's news agency STT.

Formula One Champion Kimi Raikkonen came in third.