Jari Isometsä


Jari Olavi Isometsä is a Finnish former cross-country skier who competed from 1990 to 2006. He won three bronze medals in the 4 x 10 km relay at the Winter Olympics.
Isometsä also won four medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with two silvers and two bronzes. In the World Cup, he took four victories in races between 10 km and 30 km.
Isometsä was among the six Finnish skiers who were caught of doping in the Finnish 2001 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships scandal for taking hydroxyethyl starch, a blood plasma expander usually used to cover up the use of erythropoietin in athletes. He was stripped of his silver medal in the 10 km + 10 km combined pursuit and served a two-year suspension from the FIS, IOC, and World Anti-Doping Agency, effectively ending his career as a world-class skier.
In 2013, Isometsä received a six-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.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation.

Olympic Games

Year Age 10 km Pursuit 30 km 50 km 4 × 10 km
relay
1992231612—22Bronze
19942523Cross-country skiing at the 1994 Winter Olympics – Men's 15 kilometre freestyle pursuit|6—Bronze
1998291584—Bronze

World Championships

Year Age 10 km 15 km Pursuit 30 km 50 km Sprint 4 × 10 km
relay
199122————Bronze
1993241513——4
1995268Bronze9—Silver
1997281461413Silver
199930114—145
200132————

World Cup

Season standings

Individual podiums

No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlace
1 1993–94 21 December 1993 Toblach, Italy10 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd
2 1994–95 17 December 1994 Sappada, Italy15 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd
3 1994–95 14 January 1995 Nové Město, Czech Republic15 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd
4 1994–95 27 January 1995 Lahti, Finland15 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd
5 1994–95 29 January 1995 Lahti, Finland15 km Pursuit CWorld Cup2nd
6 1994–95 13 March 1995 Thunder Bay, Canada15 km Pursuit FWorld Championships3rd
7 1995–96 29 November 1995 Gällivare, Sweden15 km Individual FWorld Cup2nd
8 1995–96 17 December 1995 Santa Caterina, Italy15 km Pursuit FWorld Cup2nd
9 1995–96 14 January 1996 Nové Město, Czech Republic15 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd
10 1995–96 2 February 1996 Seefeld, Austria10 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd
11 1995–96 3 March 1996 Lahti, Finland30 km Individual FWorld Cup1st
12 1995–96 9 March 1996 Falun, Sweden10 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd
13 1995–96 10 March 1996 Falun, Sweden15 km Pursuit CWorld Cup3rd
14 1996–97 23 November 1996 Kiruna, Sweden10 km Individual FWorld Cup2nd
15 1996–97 11 January 1997 Nagano, Japan10 km Individual CWorld Cup3rd
16 1996–97 12 January 1997 Nagano, Japan15 km Pursuit FWorld Cup3rd
17 1997–98 8 January 1998 Ramsau, Austria15 km Individual CWorld Cup3rd
18 1998–99 13 December 1998 Toblach, Italy15 km Pursuit CWorld Cup3rd
19 1998–99 14 February 1999 Seefeld, Austria10 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd
201999–005 February 2000 Lillehammer, Norway10 km + 10 km Skiathlon C/FWorld Cup1st
211999–0016 February 2000 Ulrichen, Switzerland10 km Individual FWorld Cup1st
221999–0026 February 2000 Falun, Sweden15 km Individual FWorld Cup2nd
231999–0019 March 2000 Bormio, Italy15 km Pursuit FWorld Cup1st

Team podiums

No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlaceTeammate
1 1990–91 15 February 1991 Val di Fiemme, Italy4 × 10 km Relay C/FWorld Championships3rdKuusisto / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen
2 1991–92 18 February 1992 Albertville, France4 × 10 km Relay C/FOlympic Games3rdKuusisto / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen
3 1991–92 28 February 1992 Lahti, Finland4 × 10 km Relay FWorld Cup3rdMyllylä / Hartonen / Räsänen
4 1993–94 22 February 1994 Lillehammer, Norway4 × 10 km Relay C/FOlympic Games3rdMyllylä / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen
5 1993–94 4 March 1994 Lahti, Finland4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup1stRepo / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen
6 1994–95 18 December 1994 Sappada, Italy4 × 10 km Relay FWorld Cup2ndRepo / Hartonen / Myllylä
7 1994–95 15 January 1995 Nové Město, Czech Republic4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup1stHietamäki / Kirvesniemi / Myllylä
8 1994–95 5 February 1995 Falun, Sweden4 × 10 km Relay FWorld Cup2ndRäsänen / Hartonen / Myllylä
9 1994–95 17 March 1995 Thunder Bay, Canada4 × 10 km Relay C/FWorld Championships2ndHietamäki / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen
10 1994–95 26 March 1995 Sapporo, Japan4 × 10 km Relay C/FWorld Cup3rdKuusisto / Kirvesniemi / Repo
111995–9610 December 1995 Davos, Switzerland4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup1stHietamäki / Repo / Myllylä
121995–9614 January 1996 Nové Město, Czech Republic4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup1stRepo / Myllylä / Kirvesniemi
131995–963 February 1996 Seefeld, Austria12 × 1.5 km Team Sprint FWorld Cup3rdMyllylä
141995–9617 March 1996 Oslo, Norway4 × 5 km Relay FWorld Cup3rdPalolahti / Repo / Vuorenmaa
151996–9724 November 1996 Kiruna, Sweden4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup1stRepo / Kirvesniemi / Myllylä
161996–978 December 1996 Davos, Switzerland4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup1stRepo / Kirvesniemi / Myllylä
171996–9728 February 1997 Trondheim, Norway4 × 10 km Relay C/FWorld Championships2ndKirvesniemi / Myllylä / Räsänen
18 1997–98 23 November 1997 Beitostølen, Norway4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup2ndKirvesniemi / Repo / Taipale
19 1997–98 6 March 1998 Lahti, Finland4 × 10 km Relay C/FWorld Cup1st Kirvesniemi / Myllylä / Repo
20 1997–98 10 March 1998 Falun, Sweden10 × 1.6 km Team Sprint FWorld Cup3rdPalolahti
21 1999–00 19 December 1999 Davos, Switzerland4 × 10 km Relay CWorld Cup2ndImmonen / Myllylä / Kirvesniemi

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