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
Men's cross-country skiing
Representing  Finland
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1960 Squaw Valley4 × 10 km relay
Gold medal – first place1964 Innsbruck15 km
Gold medal – first place1964 Innsbruck30 km
Silver medal – second place1964 Innsbruck4 × 10 km relay
Silver medal – second place1968 Grenoble15 km
Bronze medal – third place1968 Grenoble30 km
Bronze medal – third place1968 Grenoble4 × 10 km relay
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1962 Zakopane30 km
Gold medal – first place1966 Oslo30 km
Silver medal – second place1962 Zakopane4 × 10 km relay
Silver medal – second place1966 Oslo4 × 10 km relay
Bronze medal – third place1966 Oslo50 km

Eero Antero Mäntyranta (20 November 1937 – 29 December 2013[1]) was one of the most successful Finnish cross-country 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 that found the mutation in a high proportion of members of his extended family, as reported in 1993.[3] The elevated hematocrit 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.[2][4]

In 1972 Mäntyranta tested positive for amphetamine at a Finnish competition, becoming the first of his countrymen known to be caught doping.[2] He later admitted taking hormones, which were not yet prohibited.[2]

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[5]

Olympic Games

  • 7 medals – (3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
 Year   Age   15 km   30 km   50 km   4 × 10 km 
 relay 
1960226——Gold
196426GoldGold9Silver
196830SilverBronze15Bronze
197234—19DNF—

World Championships

  • 5 medals – (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze)
 Year   Age   15 km   30 km   50 km   4 × 10 km 
 relay 
1962245Gold—Silver
1966286GoldBronzeSilver

Accomplishments

See also

  • Athletes of Finland
  • Olympic Athletes of Finland

References

  1. ↑ Skiing legend Eero Mäntyranta dead at 76. yle.fi. 30 December 2013
  2. 1 2 3 4 Eero Mäntyranta Archived 9 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. 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. Bibcode:1993PNAS...90.4495D. doi:10.1073/pnas.90.10.4495. PMC 46538. PMID 8506290.
  4. ↑ Interview with Malcolm Gladwell. The Guardian. 29 September 2013
  5. ↑ "MAENTYRANTA Eero". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 19 January 2020.

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