- Mika Myllylä
-
Medal record 
Mika MyllyläMen's cross country skiing Olympic Games Gold 1998 Nagano 30 km Silver 1994 Lillehammer 50 km Bronze 1994 Lillehammer 30 km Bronze 1994 Lillehammer 4 × 10 km Bronze 1998 Nagano 10 km Bronze 1998 Nagano 4 × 10 km World Championships Gold 1997 Trondheim 50 km Gold 1999 Ramsau 10 km Gold 1999 Ramsau 30 km Gold 1999 Ramsau 50 km Silver 1997 Trondheim 10 km + 15 km combined pursuit Silver 1997 Trondheim 4 × 10 km Silver 1999 Ramsau 10 km + 15 km combined pursuit Bronze 1995 Thunder Bay 10 km Bronze 1997 Trondheim 10 km Disqualified 2001 Lahti 4 × 10 km Mika Kristian Myllylä (September 12, 1969 – July 5, 2011[1]) was a Finnish cross country skier who competed from 1992 to 2005. He won six medals at the Winter Olympics, earning one gold (1998: 30 km), one silver (1994: 50 km), and four bronzes (1994: 30 km, 4 × 10 km; 1998: 10 km, 4 × 10 km).
Myllylä also won a total of nine medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, winning four golds (1997: 50 km, 1999: 10 km, 30 km, 50 km), three silvers (10 km + 15 km combined pursuit: 1997, 1999; 4 × 10 km relay: 1997), and two bronzes (10 km: 1995, 1997).
He was on his way to become one of the greatest stars in cross country skiing history, until he was caught doping in the Finnish 2001 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships scandal for taking hydroxyethyl starch (HES), a blood plasma expander usually used to cover up the use of erythropoietin (EPO) in athletes. The scandal also affected five other Finnish skiers, including Jari Isometsä and Harri Kirvesniemi. Myllylä received a two year suspension from the FIS as a result. In connection with a 2011 court case, Myllylä gave a sworn statement where he admitted using EPO in the 1990s, during his career.[2]
After the suspension Myllylä tried to return to skiing, but he did not have as much success as he had before his break, despite him winning a few Finnish championships. Myllylä retired in 2005. After retirement Myllylä has been in the news for many alcohol-related problems.[3] On July 5, 2011 Myllylä was found dead at his home in Kokkola. The police do not believe that foul play was involved.[4]
References
- ^ Dennis Hevesi (July 5, 2011). "Mika Myllyla, Olympic Skier in Doping Scandal, Dies at 41". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/sports/mika-myllyla-olympic-skier-in-doping-scandal-dies-at-41.html?ref=deathsobituaries.
- ^ "Myllylä: Kerroin eposta Vähäsöyringille ja Leppävuorelle" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. Sanoma News. June 7, 2011. http://www.hs.fi/urheilu/artikkeli/Myllyl%C3%A4+Kerroin+eposta+V%C3%A4h%C3%A4s%C3%B6yringille+ja+Lepp%C3%A4vuorelle/1135266724880. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- ^ "Poliisi epäilee Mika Myllylää naisten pahoinpitelystä" (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat (Sanoma News). January 20, 2010. http://www.iltasanomat.fi/kotimaa/Poliisi%20ep%C3%A4ilee%20Mika%20Myllyl%C3%A4%C3%A4%20naisten%20pahoinpitelyst%C3%A4/art-1288338356189.html. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ "Mika Myllylä on kuollut" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat (Sanoma News). July 5, 2011. http://www.hs.fi/urheilu/artikkeli/Mika+Myllyl%C3%A4+on+kuollut/1135267576229. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
Sources
- Mika Myllylae at the International Ski Federation
- Myllylä, Mika: Riisuttu mestari. Tammi. 2001.
See also
- List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
Olympic champions in men's 30 km cross-country skiing 1956: Veikko Hakulinen (FIN) * 1960 Sixten Jernberg (SWE) * 1964: Eero Mäntyranta (FRA) * 1968: Franco Nones (ITA) * 1972: Vyacheslav Vedenin (URS) * 1976: Sergey Savelyev (URS) * 1980: Nikolay Zimyatov (URS) * 1984: Nikolay Zimyatov (URS) * 1988: Alexey Prokurorov (URS) * 1992: Vegard Ulvang (NOR) * 1994: Thomas Alsgaard (NOR) * 1998: Mika Myllylä (FIN) * 2002: Christian Hoffmann (AUT)1991: Terje Langli (NOR) * 1993: Sture Sivertsen (NOR) * 1995: Vladimir Smirnov (KAZ) * 1997: Bjørn Dæhlie (NOR) * 1999: Mika Myllylä (FIN)1926: Matti Raivio (FIN) * 1954: Vladimir Kuzin (URS) * 1958: Kalevi Hämäläinen (FIN) * 1962: Eero Mäntyranta (FIN) * 1966: Eero Mäntyranta (FIN) * 1970: Vyacheslav Vedenin (URS) * 1974: Thomas Magnusson (SWE) * 1978: Sergey Savelyev (URS) * 1982: Thomas Eriksson (SWE) * 1985: Gunde Svan (SWE) * 1987: Thomas Wassberg (SWE) * 1989: Vladimir Smirnov (URS) * 1991: Gunde Svan (SWE) * 1993: Bjørn Dæhlie (NOR) * 1995: Vladimir Smirnov (KAZ) * 1997: Alexey Prokurorov (RUS) * 1999: Mika Myllylä (FIN) * 2001: Andrus Veerpalu (EST) * 2003: Thomas Alsgaard (NOR)1925: František Donth (TCH) • 1926: Matti Raivio (FIN) • 1927: John Lindgren (SWE) • 1929: Anselm Knuuttila (FIN) • 1930: Sven Utterström (SWE) • 1931: Ole Stenen (NOR) • 1933: Veli Saarinen (FIN) • 1934: Elis Wiklund (SWE) • 1935: Nils-Joel Englund (SWE) • 1937: Pekka Niemi (FIN) • 1938: Kalle Jalkanen (FIN) • 1939: Lars Bergendahl (NOR) • 1950: Gunnar Eriksson (SWE) • 1954: Vladimir Kuzin (URS) • 1958: Sixten Jernberg (SWE) • 1962: Sixten Jernberg (SWE) • 1966: Gjermund Eggen (NOR) • 1970: Kalevi Oikarainen (FIN) • 1974: Gerhard Grimmer (GDR) • 1978: Sven-Åke Lundbäck (SWE) • 1982: Thomas Wassberg (SWE) • 1985: Gunde Svan (SWE) • 1987: Maurilio De Zolt (ITA) • 1989: Gunde Svan (SWE) • 1991: Torgny Mogren (SWE) • 1993: Torgny Mogren (SWE) • 1995: Silvio Fauner (ITA) • 1997: Mika Myllylä (FIN) • 1999: Mika Myllylä (FIN) • 2001: Johann Mühlegg (ESP) • 2003: Martin Koukal (CZE) • 2005: Frode Estil (NOR) • 2007: Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset (NOR) • 2009: Petter Northug (NOR) • 2011: Petter Northug (NOR)
Categories:- 1969 births
- Finnish cross-country skiers
- Finnish sportspeople in doping cases
- Cross-country skiers at the 1992 Winter Olympics
- Cross-country skiers at the 1994 Winter Olympics
- Cross-country skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics
- Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing
- 2011 deaths
- Suicides in Finland
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