Eero Mäntyranta

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Eero Mäntyranta
Mäntyranta at the 1964 Olympics
Full nameEero Antero Mäntyranta
Born(1937-11-20)20 November 1937
Turtola, Lapland, Finland
Died29 December 2013(2013-12-29) (aged 76)
Oulu, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Ski clubPellon Ponsi
Medal record
Cross-country skiing
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1960 Squaw Valley 4×10 km
Gold medal – first place 1964 Innsbruck 15 km
Gold medal – first place 1964 Innsbruck 30 km
Silver medal – second place 1964 Innsbruck 4×10 km
Silver medal – second place 1968 Grenoble 15 km
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Grenoble 30 km
Bronze medal – third place 1968 Grenoble 4×10 km
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1962 Zakopane 30 km
Gold medal – first place 1966 Oslo 30 km
Silver medal – second place 1962 Zakopane 4×10 km
Silver medal – second place 1966 Oslo 4×10 km
Bronze medal – third place 1966 Oslo 50 km
Updated on 22 February 2014.

Eero Antero Mäntyranta (20 November 1937 – 29 December 2013[1]) was one of the most successful Finnish skiers. He competed in four Winter Olympics (1960–1972) winning seven medals at three of them. His performance at the 1964 Winter Olympics earned him the nickname "Mister Seefeld", referring to the venue where the cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions took place.[2] 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 due to a mutation in the erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) gene, which was identified following a DNA study done on over 200 members of his family, as reported in 1993.[3] This condition results in an increase of up to 50% in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, a large advantage when participating in endurance events.[2][4]

In 1972 Mäntyranta was the first Finnish sportsman who tested positive for doping. He later admitted taking hormones, which was not prohibited in those years.[2]

Accomplishments

Mäntyranta also finished 19th in the 30 km event at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Skiing legend Eero Mäntyranta dead at 76. yle.fi. 30 December 2013
  2. ^ a b c d Eero Mäntyranta. sports-reference.com
  3. ^ de la Chapelle. A; Traskelin AL; Juvonen E. (1993). "Truncated erythropoietin receptor causes dominantly inherited benign human erythrocytosis". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 90 (10): 4495–9. doi:10.1073/pnas.90.10.4495. PMC 46538. PMID 8506290.
  4. ^ Interview with Malcolm Gladwell. The Guardian. 29 September 2013

External links

Media related to Eero Mäntyranta at Wikimedia Commons

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