Career
He was the second Finn to put the shot more than 20 m in an official competition when he put it 20.04 metres in Hämeenkyrö, Finland on August 2, 1972. His personal best outdoors is 20.84 m, which he put on July 6, 1976 in Kokemäki. Internationally, his highest rankings in the European Championships was a fourth place in Athens in 1969 and a 3rd place in the competition between Finland and Sweden in 1973.
Yrjölä was one of the first six Finns originally admitted to the 20 meter club when it was founded in April 1983.
