Eero Mäntyranta

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Eero Mäntyranta
File:EeroMantyranta.jpg
Eero Mäntyranta at the 1964 Winter Olympics
Full name Eero Antero Mäntyranta
Born (1937-11-20)20 November 1937
Turtola, Lapland, Finland
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Oulu, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland
Updated on 22 February 2014.

Eero Antero Mäntyranta (20 November 1937 – 29 December 2013[1]) was a Finnish skier and multiple Olympic champion. He competed in four Winter Olympics (1960–1972) winning seven medals at three of them, making him one of the most successful skiers Finland has ever produced. His success 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. 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

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.[2] 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.[3]

Accomplishments

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

See also

References

  1. http://yle.fi/uutiset/skiing_legend_eero_mantyranta_dead_at_76/7004795
  2. de la Chapelle. A, Traskelin AL, Juvonen E. (1993). "Truncated erythropoietin receptor causes dominantly inherited benign human erythrocytosis." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 90(10):4495-9.
  3. Guardian newspaper: interview with Malcolm Gladwell, 29 September 2013

External links

Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons

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