AN 18-YEAR-OLD Finnish youth has won this year’s mobile phone throwing world championship with a record-breaking distance.

Ere Karjalainen threw the phone a record 101.46 metres, according to the official result.

Jeremy Gallop from South Africa placed second with a throw of 94.67 metres, while Jonna Mattero of Finland won the women’s category with 42.47 metres.

YouTube credit: telegraphtv

The world championships started in Savonlinna, Finland in 2000 and organisers are already accepting entries to next year’s event. The competition’s official website provides some background on the event, saying that “Finland is known as the home country of the mobile phones and Finns have always been very fashion-conscious about the phones”:

Mobile phone is an essential part of us that connects us to nearly anywhere in the world but when you most need it the battery runs out or your sweetheart doesn’t answer or some one doesn’t return your call.  Hope, anticipation,  passion and frustration concentrates on mobile phone.

The organisers say that discarded mobile phones end up as toxic waste, but before that happens, they can be recycled into sports equipment for the phone throwing championships: “It combines recycling philosophy and fun spirit in active sport”.

Under the event’s rules, competitors can only throw a phone provided by the organisers, but that variations in phone weight are available. A local recycling company partners the event and collects the discarded phones.

There are no doping tests, but competitors can be excluded if they pose a threat to themselves, other competitors or the public.