Utriainen was born in Virtasalmi (now part of Pieksämäki) on 20 November 1953.[1] He was a finalist at the Finnish championships in 1977 and 1978 before winning in 1979; his winning throw, 90.94 m, remained his personal best.[1] Track & Field News ranked him in the world's top 10 twice (in 1979 and 1981), with a peak ranking of No. 7 in the latter year.[2] In 1983 he represented Finland at the inaugural World Championships in Helsinki; he qualified for the twelve-man final, but placed last in it.[3]
After his athletic career he became a coach, originally in Finland; later, he coached the national javelin teams of South Korea and Britain.[4] In 2015 he became the coach of Qatar's javelin team.[4]
His daughter Sanni Utriainen, also coached by her father, won the World Junior Championship in 2010.[4]
