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Mika Myllyla to Retire
Special Report by Jay Tegeder
June 1, 2001
Mika Myllyla on his way to winning the 30K title
in the 1999 World Championships in Ramsau, Austria
(Presse Service Photo)
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According to www.wintersport.as, a leading Norwegian Cross Country
Skiing Web Page, Mika Myllyla has announced his retirement from
cross country skiing. He was frustrated by the two year ban
he received from the Finnish Cross Country Ski Federation for
doping at the 2001 World Championships. The FIS has yet to hand
down its verdict from the scandal but a similar two year ban
is expected. Whether this is a ploy on the part of Myllyla to
reduce his punishment or whether this is the real thing, a skier
with his stature will be missed. Among his accomplishments were
50K Gold from the 1997 World Championships, 30K Gold from the
1998 Olympics and 10K, 30K and 50K Gold from the 1999 World
Championships. Unfortunately, he will be remembered for the
HES plasma expander doping scandal from the 2001 Nordic World
Championships in Lahti, Finland. HES is used as a way to drop
blood hemoglobin levels after using EPO, a banned performance
enhancing drug. Like his 43 year-old teammate, Harri Kirvesniemi,
their great careers and reputations were ruined by doping, plain
and simple. In recent years, great champions like Gunde Svan,
Vegard Ulvang and Vladimir Smirnov have retired on their own
terms. Bjorn Daehlie was forced to retire becasue of back problems.
However, their accomplishments will always be held in high esteem.
I'm sure Myllyla and Kirvesniemi would gladly change places
with Daehlie.
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