Eero Antero Mäntyranta (20 November 1937 – 30 December 2013) was one of the most successful Finnish cross-country skiers. He competed in four

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

(1960–1972) winning seven medals at three of them. His performance at the

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was a ...

earned him the nickname "Mister Seefeld", referring to the venue where the cross-country skiing and

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not ti ...

competitions took place.Eero Mäntyranta
. sports-reference.com The Finnish Ministry of Education endowed him with the Pro Urheilu letter of recognition in 2000. There is also a museum centered on Mäntyranta in his birthplace of Pello.

Genetics and doping

Mäntyranta had primary familial and congenital polycythemia (PFCP) causing an increase in red blood cell mass and

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin, Hb or Hgb) is a protein containing iron that facilitates the transportation of oxygen in red blood cells. Almost all vertebrates contain hemoglobin, with the sole exception of the fish family Channichthyidae. Hemoglobin ...

due to a mutation in the erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) gene, which was identified following a

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

study that found the mutation in a high proportion of members of his extended family, as reported in 1993. The elevated

hematocrit The hematocrit () (Ht or HCT), also known by several other names, is the volume percentage (vol%) of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood, measured as part of a blood test. The measurement depends on the number and size of red blood cells. It is nor ...

caused by the condition increases the ability of the blood to transport oxygen; the EPOR mutation is speculated to have contributed to Mäntyranta's remarkable endurance. Interview with Malcolm Gladwell
The Guardian. 29 September 2013 In 1972 Mäntyranta tested positive for

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from Alpha and beta carbon, alpha-methylphenethylamine, methylphenethylamine) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, an ...

at a Finnish competition, becoming the first of his countrymen known to be caught doping. He later admitted taking

hormones A hormone (from the Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior. Hormones a ...

, which were not yet prohibited.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

* 7 medals – (3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)

World Championships

* 5 medals – (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)

Accomplishments

* National domestic championships: five gold, two silver and two bronze * Holmenkollen ski festival championships first place 1962, 1964 and 1968 (15 km) * Holmenkollen medal in 1964 (Shared with Veikko Kankkonen, Georg Thoma, and

Halvor Næs Halvor Næs (19 April 1928 – 13 October 2022) was a Norwegian ski jumper who competed in the 1950s. His only victory was in 1953 and he finished fifth in the individual large hill event at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is th ...

.). * Salpausselkä games win 1964 and 1972.

References

External links

*
Holmenkollen medalists
– click Holmenkollmedaljen for downloadable pdf file
Holmenkollen winners since 1892
– click Vinnere for downloadable pdf file {{DEFAULTSORT:Mantyranta, Eero 1937 births 2013 deaths People from Pello Cross-country skiers at the 1960 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1972 Winter Olympics Doping cases in cross-country skiing Finnish male cross-country skiers Finnish sportspeople in doping cases Holmenkollen medalists Holmenkollen Ski Festival winners Olympic gold medalists for Finland Olympic silver medalists for Finland Olympic bronze medalists for Finland Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing Olympic cross-country skiers for Finland FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing Medalists at the 1960 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Winter Olympics Skiers from Lapland (Finland) 20th-century Finnish sportsmen