Harri Kirvesniemi

Harri Tapani Kirvesniemi (born 10 May 1958) 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 festival in 2000. He retired after being caught doping at the 2001 World Championship in Lahti.

Harri Kirvesniemi
Kirvesniemi in February 2017
Country	Finland
Full name	Harri Tapani Kirvesniemi
Born	(1958-05-10) 10 May 1958 (age 67) Mikkeli, Finland
Spouse(s)	Marja-Liisa Hämäläinen ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 2011)​
Ski club	Mikkelin Hiihtaejaet
World Cup career
Seasons	20 – (1982–2001)
Indiv. starts	127
Indiv. podiums	16
Indiv. wins	6
Team starts	37
Team podiums	23
Team wins	7
Overall titles	0 – (3rd in 1982, 1984)
Discipline titles	0
Medal record Men's cross-country skiing Representing  Finland International nordic ski competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 0 6 World Championships 1 3 4 Total 1 3 10 Olympic Games 1980 Lake Placid 4 × 10 km relay 1984 Sarajevo 15 km 1984 Sarajevo 4 × 10 km relay 1992 Albertville 4 × 10 km relay 1994 Lillehammer 4 × 10 km relay 1998 Nagano 4 × 10 km relay World Championships 1989 Lahti 15 km classical 1989 Lahti 4 × 10 km relay 1995 Thunder Bay 4 × 10 km relay 1997 Trondheim 4 × 10 km relay 1982 Oslo 15 km 1982 Oslo 4 × 10 km relay 1985 Seefeld 30 km 1991 Val di Fiemme 4 × 10 km relay Disqualified 2001 Lahti 4 × 10 km relay

Career

His biggest successes though were at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, where he earned a total of eight medals. This included one gold (15 km: 1989), three silvers (4 × 10 km relay: 1989, 1995. 1997), and four bronzes (15 km: 1982, 30 km: 1985, 4 × 10 km relay: 1982 (shared with East Germany), 1991). In 1998, he earned the Holmenkollen medal (shared with Fred Børre Lundberg, Larissa Lazutina, and Alexey Prokurorov). He was married to Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi, who won the Holmenkollen medal in 1989. This makes them the third husband-wife team to ever win the Holmenkollen medal.

During the 2001 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, he tested positive for use of the banned plasma expander Hemohes together with five fellow Finnish cross-country skiers. This resulted in the disqualification of the gold-medal winning Finnish relay team. Following the scandal, Kirvesniemi retired from competitive skiing. In 2013, he received a 6-month suspended sentence after the Helsinki District Court found that he had committed perjury when witnessing to the court in 2011 that he was unaware of any doping use in the 1990s.^[1]

Presently Kirvesniemi works as the Plant Manager and Board Member at Yoko Ski.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).^[2]

Olympic Games

• 6 medals – (6 bronze)

Year	Age	10 km	15 km	Pursuit	30 km	50 km	4 × 10 km   relay
1980	21	—	8	—	18	—	Bronze
1984	25	—	Bronze	—	7	4	Bronze
1988	29	—	8	—	9	22	8
1992	33	6	—	11	10	—	Bronze
1994	35	9	—	DNS	—	12	Bronze
1998	39	13	—	DNS	6	—	Bronze

World Championships

• 8 medals – (1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze)

Year	Age	10 km	15 km   classical	15 km   freestyle	Pursuit	30 km	50 km	Sprint	4 × 10 km   relay
1982	23	—	Bronze	—	—	—	9	—	Bronze
1985	26	—	6	—	—	Bronze	7	—	4
1987	28	—	12	—	—	4	7	—	6
1989	30	—	Gold	—	—	4	23	—	Silver
1991	32	6	—	—	—	5	—	—	Bronze
1993	34	18	—	—	—	10	—	—	4
1995	36	5	—	—	7	6	—	—	Silver
1997	38	8	—	—	DNF	—	DNF	—	Silver
1999	40	13	—	—	DNF	—	13	—	5
2001	42	—	4	—	—	8	—	—	DSQ

World Cup

Season standings

Season	Age
		Overall	Long Distance	Middle Distance	Sprint
1982	23		—	—	—
1983	24	14	—	—	—
1984	25		—	—	—
1985	26	9	—	—	—
1986	27	17	—	—	—
1987	28	9	—	—	—
1988	29	15	—	—	—
1989	30	12	—	—	—
1990	31	12	—	—	—
1991	32	13	—	—	—
1992	33	7	—	—	—
1993	34	29	—	—	—
1994	35	12	—	—	—
1995	36	7	—	—	—
1996	37	21	—	—	—
1997	38	29	35	—	26
1998	39	38	37	—	36
1999	40	33	30	—	61
2000	41	14	5	16	—
2001	42	57	—	—	—

Individual podiums

• 6 victories
• 16 podiums

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place
1	1981–82	23 February 1982	Oslo, Norway	15 km Individual	World Championships[1]	3rd
2		19 March 1982	Štrbské Pleso, Czechoslovakia	15 km Individual	World Cup	1st
3		27 March 1982	Kastelruth, Italy	15 km Individual	World Cup	3rd
4	1983–84	10 December 1983	Reit im Winkl, West Germany	15 km Individual	World Cup	2nd
5		13 February 1984	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia	15 km Individual	Olympic Games[1]	3rd
6	1984–85	18 January 1985	Seefeld, Austria	30 km Individual	World Championships[1]	3rd
7		3 March 1985	Lahti, Finland	50 km Individual	World Cup	3rd
8	1986–87	10 January 1987	Canmore, Canada	15 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
9	1987–88	27 March 1988	Rovaniemi, Finland	50 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
10	1988–89	22 February 1989	Lahti, Finland	15 km Individual C	World Championships[1]	1st
11	1989–90	10 March 1990	Örnsköldsvik, Sweden	30 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
12	1990–91	16 March 1991	Oslo, Norway	50 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
13	1993–94	12 March 1994	Falun, Sweden	30 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
14	1994–95	14 January 1995	Nové Město, Czech Republic	15 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
15	1999–00	12 January 2000	Nové Město, Czech Republic	15 km Individual C	World Cup	3rd
16		11 March 2000	Oslo, Norway	50 km Individual C	World Cup	1st

Team podiums

• 7 victories
• 23 podiums

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place	Teammate(s)
1	1981–82	25 February 1982	Oslo, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay	World Championships[1]	3rd	Härkönen / Karvonen / Mieto
2	1983–84	16 February 1984	Sarajevo, Yugoslavia	4 × 10 km Relay	Olympic Games[1]	3rd	Ristanen / Mieto / Karvonen
3	1985–86	9 March 1986	Falun, Sweden	4 × 10 km Relay F	World Cup	3rd	Hynninen / Ristanen / Karvonen
4	1986–87	19 March 1987	Oslo, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	2nd	Laukkanen / Ristanen / Karvonen
5	1988–89	24 February 1989	Lahti, Finland	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Championships[1]	2nd	Karvonen / Ristanen / Räsänen
6	1990–91	15 February 1991	Val di Fiemme, Italy	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Championships[1]	3rd	Kuusisto / Isometsä / Räsänen
7	1991–92	18 February 1992	Albertville, France	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	Olympic Games[1]	3rd	Kuusisto / Räsänen / Isometsä
8	1993–94	22 February 1994	Lillehammer, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	Olympic Games[1]	3rd	Myllylä / Räsänen / Isometsä
9		4 March 1994	Lahti, Finland	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	1st	Repo / Isometsä / Räsänen
10	1994–95	15 January 1995	Nové Město, Czech Republic	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	1st	Hietamäki / Isometsä / Myllylä
11		12 February 1995	Oslo, Norway	4 × 5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	1st	Hietamäki / Kuusisto / Repo
12		17 March 1995	Thunder Bay, Canada	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Championships[1]	2nd	Hietamäki / Räsänen / Isometsä
13		26 March 1995	Sapporo, Japan	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Cup	3rd	Kuusisto / Repo / Isometsä
14	1995–96	14 January 1996	Nové Město, Czech Republic	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	1st	Repo / Myllylä / Isometsä
15	1996–97	24 November 1996	Kiruna, Sweden	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	1st	Repo / Myllylä / Isometsä
16		8 December 1996	Davos, Switzerland	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	1st	Isometsä / Repo / Myllylä
17		28 February 1997	Trondheim, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Championships[1]	2nd	Myllylä / Räsänen / Isometsä
18	1997–98	23 November 1997	Beitostølen, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	2nd	Isometsä / Repo / Taipale
19		6 March 1998	Lahti, Finland	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Cup	1st	Myllylä / Repo / Isometsä
20	1998–99	14 March 1999	Falun, Sweden	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Immonen / Myllylä / Repo
21	1999–00	19 December 1999	Davos, Switzerland	4 × 10 km Relay C	World Cup	2nd	Immonen / Myllylä / Isometsä
22		5 March 2000	Lahti, Finland	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Immonen / Kattilakoski / Repo
23	2000–01	26 November 2000	Beitostølen, Norway	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Immonen / Myllylä / Repo

Note: ¹ Until the 1999 World Championships and the 1994 Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.

See also

• List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences
• List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
• List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event