# 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.

## 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.
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).

### 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 |
| 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 | 3rd |
| 2 | 1981–82 | 19 March 1982 | Štrbské Pleso, Czechoslovakia | 15 km Individual | World Cup | 1st |
| 3 | 1981–82 | 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 | 1983–84 | 13 February 1984 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | 15 km Individual | Olympic Games | 3rd |
| 6 | 1984–85 | 18 January 1985 | Seefeld, Austria | 30 km Individual | World Championships | 3rd |
| 7 | 1984–85 | 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 | 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 | 1999–00 | 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 | 3rd | Härkönen / Karvonen / Mieto |
| 2 | 1983–84 | 16 February 1984 | Sarajevo, Yugoslavia | 4 × 10 km Relay | Olympic Games | 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 | 2nd | Karvonen / Ristanen / Räsänen |
| 6 | 1990–91 | 15 February 1991 | Val di Fiemme, Italy | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Championships | 3rd | Kuusisto / Isometsä / Räsänen |
| 7 | 1991–92 | 18 February 1992 | Albertville, France | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | Olympic Games | 3rd | Kuusisto / Räsänen / Isometsä |
| 8 | 1993–94 | 22 February 1994 | Lillehammer, Norway | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | Olympic Games | 3rd | Myllylä / Räsänen / Isometsä |
| 9 | 1993–94 | 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 | 1994–95 | 12 February 1995 | Oslo, Norway | 4 × 5 km Relay C/F | World Cup | 1st | Hietamäki / Kuusisto / Repo |
| 12 | 1994–95 | 17 March 1995 | Thunder Bay, Canada | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Championships | 2nd | Hietamäki / Räsänen / Isometsä |
| 13 | 1994–95 | 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 | 1996–97 | 8 December 1996 | Davos, Switzerland | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 1st | Isometsä / Repo / Myllylä |
| 17 | 1996–97 | 28 February 1997 | Trondheim, Norway | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Championships | 2nd | Myllylä / Räsänen / Isometsä |
| 18 | 1997–98 | 23 November 1997 | Beitostølen, Norway | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 2nd | Isometsä / Repo / Taipale |
| 19 | 1997–98 | 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 | 1999–00 | 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.