Mika Kristian Myllylä (12 September 1969 – 5 July 2011) was a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
cross-country skier who competed from 1992 to 2005. He won six medals at the
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) 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 h ...
, 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
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship e ...
, 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
Hydroxyethyl starch (HES/HAES), sold under the brand name Voluven among others, is a nonionic starch derivative, used as a volume expander in intravenous therapy. The use of HES on critically ill patients is associated with an increased risk of ...
(HES), a
blood plasma
Blood plasma is a light amber-colored liquid component of blood in which blood cells are absent, but contains proteins and other constituents of whole blood in suspension. It makes up about 55% of the body's total blood volume. It is the intra ...
expander usually used to
cover up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to :wikt:conceal, conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassment, embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own ...
the use of
erythropoietin
Erythropoietin (; EPO), also known as erythropoetin, haematopoietin, or haemopoietin, is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted mainly by the kidneys in response to cellular hypoxia; it stimulates red blood cell production (erythropoiesis) in the bo ...
(EPO) in athletes. The scandal also affected five other Finnish skiers, including
Jari Isometsä
Jari Olavi Isometsä (born 11 September 1968) is a Finnish former cross-country skier who competed from 1990 to 2006. He won three bronze medals in the 4 × 10 km relay at the Winter Olympics (1992, 1994, 1998).
Isometsä also won four med ...
and
Harri Kirvesniemi
Harri Tapani Kirvesniemi (born 10 May 1958, in Mikkeli) is a Finnish former cross-country skier who competed from 1980 to 2001. During his career he won six Olympic medals (all bronzes), and also the 50 km event at the Holmenkollen ski fest ...
. Myllylä received a two-year suspension from the
FIS
FIS or fis may refer to:
Science and technology
* '' Fis'', an ''E. Coli'' gene
* Fis phenomenon, a phenomenon in linguistics
* F♯ (musical note)
* Flight information service, an air traffic control service
* Frame Information Structure, a Se ...
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.
After the suspension Myllylä tried to return to skiing, but failed to come back to the international level despite winning a few Finnish championships. Myllylä retired from the skiing sports in 2005. In the following years he was involved in alcohol-related problems which were extensively covered in Finnish tabloid papers. On 5 July 2011, Myllylä was found dead at his home in
Kokkola
Kokkola (; sv, Karleby, ) is a cities of Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality of Finland.
The town is located in the Central Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of ...
. The official police investigation concluded that his death was the result of an accident, and ruled out the possibility of foul play and suicide.
Cross-country skiing results
All results are sourced from the
International Ski Federation (FIS).
Olympic Games
* 6 medals – (1 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze)
World Championships
* 9 medals – (4 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
World Cup
Season titles
* 1 title – (1 Long Distance)
Season standings
:a. 29th in the Long Distance World Cup.
26th in the Middle Distance World Cup.
Individual podiums
* 10 victories
* 25 podiums
Team podiums
* 6 victories – (6 )
* 15 podiums – (14 , 1 )
Note: Until the
1999 World Championships and the
1994 Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.
Overall record
:a. Classification is made according to FIS classification.
:b. Includes individual and mass start races.
:c. Incomplete due to lack of appropriate sources prior to 2001.
Note: Until
1999 World Championships and
1994 Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races are part of the World Cup. Hence results from those races are included in the World Cup overall record.
See also
*
List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
The following is an incomplete list of sportspeople who have been involved in doping offences. It contains those who have been found to have, or have admitted to having, taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs, prohibited recreational drugs or ...
References
Sources
*
*
* Myllylä, Mika: Riisuttu mestari. Tammi. 2001.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myllyla, Mika
1969 births
2011 deaths
Finnish male cross-country skiers
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 cross-country skiers of Finland
Medalists at the 1994 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing
Olympic gold medalists for Finland
Olympic silver medalists for Finland
Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in cross-country skiing
Doping cases in cross-country skiing
Finnish sportspeople in doping cases
Accidental deaths in Finland
People from Haapajärvi
Sportspeople from North Ostrobothnia