Eero Mäntyranta
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Eero Antero Mäntyranta (b. November 20 1937, in Turtola (cur. Pello)) is a former Finnish skier and multiple Olympic Champion. With his seven medals from four Winter Olympics, he is one of the most successful skiers Finland has ever produced.
His extraordinary success at the 1964 Winter Olympics gained him the nickname "Mister Seefeld", referring to the venue.
The Finnish Ministry of Education endowed him with the Pro Urheilu letter of recognition in 2000. There is also a museum centered on Eero Mäntyranta in Pello.
He is the first Finnish sportsman to have tested positive for doping. In domestic championships 1972 his tests showed use of amphetamine, but the result was hushed up. After the Sapporo Winter Olympics, the fact came to light but was and has been denied by Mäntyranta. Later Mäntyranta has admitted to using hormones, which during his sports career were not yet prohibited. Mäntyranta has naturally aberrant high blood hemoglobin following a DNA study done on over 200 members of his family in 2002.
Accomplishments
- three Olympic gold medals: Squaw Valley 1960 (4 x 10 km Relay) and Innsbruck 1964 (18 km and 30 km)
- two Olympic silver medals: Innsbruck 1964 (relay) and Grenoble 1968 (15 km)
- two Olympic bronze medals: Grenoble 1968 (30 km and relay)
- two World Championships gold medals: Zakopane 1962 (30 km) and Oslo 1966 (30 km), two silver: 1962 (relay) and 1966 (relay), one bronze: 1966 (50 km)
- National domestic championships: five gold, two silver and two bronze
- Holmenkollen games championships first place 1962, 1964 and 1968 (15 km)
- Holmenkollen medalist in 1964 (Shared with Veikko Kankkonen, Georg Thoma, and Halvor Næs.).
- Salpausselkä games win 1964 an 1972.
External links
| Olympic Champions in Men's 15 km Cross Country |
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1956: Hallgeir Brenden |
1960: Haakon Brusveen |
1964: Eero Mäntyranta |
1968: Harald Grønningen |
1972: Sven-Åke Lundbäck 1976: Nikolay Bazhukov | 1980: Thomas Wassberg | 1984: Gunde Svan | 1988: Mikhail Devyatyarov | 2002: Andrus Veerpalu | 2006: Andrus Veerpalu |
| Cross Country |
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| 1956: Veikko Hakulinen | 1960: Sixten Jernberg | 1964: Eero Mäntyranta | 1968: Franco Nones | 1972: Vyacheslav Vedenin | 1976: Sergey Savelyev | 1980: Nikolai Zimyatov | 1984: Nikolai Zimyatov | 1988: Alexey Prokurorov | 1992: Vegard Ulvang | 1994: Thomas Alsgaard | 1998: Mika Myllylä | 2002: Christian Hoffmann |
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