# Jari Isometsä

Jari Olavi Isometsä (born 11 September 1968) is a Finnish former cross-country skier who competed from 1990 to 2006. He won three bronze medals in the 4 × 10 km relay at the Winter Olympics (1992, 1994, 1998).
Isometsä also won four medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with two silvers (4 × 10 km: 1995, 1997) and two bronzes (4 × 10 km: 1991, 10 km + 15 km combined pursuit: 1995). 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 (HES), a blood plasma expander usually used to cover up the use of erythropoietin (EPO) 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 (WADA), 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 (FIS).

### Olympic Games

* 3 medals – (3 bronze)
| Year | Age | 10 km | Pursuit | 30 km | 50 km | 4 × 10 km  relay |
| 1992 | 23 | 16 | 12 | — | 22 | Bronze |
| 1994 | 25 | 23 | DNS | 6 | — | Bronze |
| 1998 | 29 | 15 | 8 | 4 | — | Bronze |

### World Championships

* 4 medals – (2 silver, 2 bronze)
| Year | Age | 10 km | 15 km | Pursuit | 30 km | 50 km | Sprint | 4 × 10 km  relay |
| 1991 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Bronze |
| 1993 | 24 | 15 | — | 13 | — | — | — | 4 |
| 1995 | 26 | 8 | — | Bronze | 9 | — | — | Silver |
| 1997 | 28 | 14 | — | 6 | 14 | 13 | — | Silver |
| 1999 | 30 | 11 | — | 4 | — | 14 | — | 5 |
| 2001 | 32 | — | DSQ | DSQ | — | — | — | — |

### World Cup
#### Season standings

| Season | Age |
| Season | Age | Overall | Distance | Long Distance | Middle Distance | Sprint |
| 1990 | 21 | 40 | — | — | — | — |
| 1992 | 23 | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| 1993 | 24 | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | 25 | | — | — | — | — |
| 1995 | 26 | 5 | — | — | — | — |
| 1996 | 27 | | — | — | — | — |
| 1997 | 28 | 6 | — | 16 | — | 6 |
| 1998 | 29 | 5 | — | 5 | — | 9 |
| 1999 | 30 | 8 | — | 15 | — | — |
| 2000 | 31 | | — | 12 | | 53 |
| 2001 | 32 | 53 | — | — | — | — |
| 2003 | 34 | 78 | — | — | — | — |
| 2004 | 35 | 119 | 79 | — | — | — |
| 2005 | 36 | NC | NC | — | — | — |
| 2006 | 37 | NC | NC | — | — | — |

#### Individual podiums

* 4 victories
* 23 podiums
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Race | Level | Place |
| 1 | 1993–94 | 21 December 1993 | Toblach, Italy | 10 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd |
| 2 | 1994–95 | 17 December 1994 | Sappada, Italy | 15 km Individual F | World Cup | 3rd |
| 3 | 1994–95 | 14 January 1995 | Nové Město, Czech Republic | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd |
| 4 | 1994–95 | 27 January 1995 | Lahti, Finland | 15 km Individual F | World Cup | 3rd |
| 5 | 1994–95 | 29 January 1995 | Lahti, Finland | 15 km Pursuit C | World Cup | 2nd |
| 6 | 1994–95 | 13 March 1995 | Thunder Bay, Canada | 15 km Pursuit F | World Championships | 3rd |
| 7 | 1995–96 | 29 November 1995 | Gällivare, Sweden | 15 km Individual F | World Cup | 2nd |
| 8 | 1995–96 | 17 December 1995 | Santa Caterina, Italy | 15 km Pursuit F | World Cup | 2nd |
| 9 | 1995–96 | 14 January 1996 | Nové Město, Czech Republic | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 2nd |
| 10 | 1995–96 | 2 February 1996 | Seefeld, Austria | 10 km Individual F | World Cup | 3rd |
| 11 | 1995–96 | 3 March 1996 | Lahti, Finland | 30 km Individual F | World Cup | 1st |
| 12 | 1995–96 | 9 March 1996 | Falun, Sweden | 10 km Individual F | World Cup | 3rd |
| 13 | 1995–96 | 10 March 1996 | Falun, Sweden | 15 km Pursuit C | World Cup | 3rd |
| 14 | 1996–97 | 23 November 1996 | Kiruna, Sweden | 10 km Individual F | World Cup | 2nd |
| 15 | 1996–97 | 11 January 1997 | Nagano, Japan | 10 km Individual C | World Cup | 3rd |
| 16 | 1996–97 | 12 January 1997 | Nagano, Japan | 15 km Pursuit F | World Cup | 3rd |
| 17 | 1997–98 | 8 January 1998 | Ramsau, Austria | 15 km Individual C | World Cup | 3rd |
| 18 | 1998–99 | 13 December 1998 | Toblach, Italy | 15 km Pursuit C | World Cup | 3rd |
| 19 | 1998–99 | 14 February 1999 | Seefeld, Austria | 10 km Individual F | World Cup | 3rd |
| 20 | 1999–00 | 5 February 2000 | Lillehammer, Norway | 10 km + 10 km Skiathlon C/F | World Cup | 1st |
| 21 | 1999–00 | 16 February 2000 | Ulrichen, Switzerland | 10 km Individual F | World Cup | 1st |
| 22 | 1999–00 | 26 February 2000 | Falun, Sweden | 15 km Individual F | World Cup | 2nd |
| 23 | 1999–00 | 19 March 2000 | Bormio, Italy | 15 km Pursuit F | World Cup | 1st |

#### Team podiums

* 7 victories – (7 RL)
* 21 podiums – (19 RL, 2 TS)
| No. | Season | Date | Location | Race | Level | Place | Teammate(s) |
| 1 | 1990–91 | 15 February 1991 | Val di Fiemme, Italy | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Championships | 3rd | Kuusisto / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen |
| 2 | 1991–92 | 18 February 1992 | Albertville, France | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | Olympic Games | 3rd | Kuusisto / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen |
| 3 | 1991–92 | 28 February 1992 | Lahti, Finland | 4 × 10 km Relay F | World Cup | 3rd | Myllylä / Hartonen / Räsänen |
| 4 | 1993–94 | 22 February 1994 | Lillehammer, Norway | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | Olympic Games | 3rd | Myllylä / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen |
| 5 | 1993–94 | 4 March 1994 | Lahti, Finland | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 1st | Repo / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen |
| 6 | 1994–95 | 18 December 1994 | Sappada, Italy | 4 × 10 km Relay F | World Cup | 2nd | Repo / Hartonen / Myllylä |
| 7 | 1994–95 | 15 January 1995 | Nové Město, Czech Republic | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 1st | Hietamäki / Kirvesniemi / Myllylä |
| 8 | 1994–95 | 5 February 1995 | Falun, Sweden | 4 × 10 km Relay F | World Cup | 2nd | Räsänen / Hartonen / Myllylä |
| 9 | 1994–95 | 17 March 1995 | Thunder Bay, Canada | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Championships | 2nd | Hietamäki / Kirvesniemi / Räsänen |
| 10 | 1994–95 | 26 March 1995 | Sapporo, Japan | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Cup | 3rd | Kuusisto / Kirvesniemi / Repo |
| 11 | 1995–96 | 10 December 1995 | Davos, Switzerland | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 1st | Hietamäki / Repo / Myllylä |
| 12 | 1995–96 | 14 January 1996 | Nové Město, Czech Republic | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 1st | Repo / Myllylä / Kirvesniemi |
| 13 | 1995–96 | 3 February 1996 | Seefeld, Austria | 12 × 1.5 km Team Sprint F | World Cup | 3rd | Myllylä |
| 14 | 1995–96 | 17 March 1996 | Oslo, Norway | 4 × 5 km Relay F | World Cup | 3rd | Palolahti / Repo / Vuorenmaa |
| 15 | 1996–97 | 24 November 1996 | Kiruna, Sweden | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 1st | Repo / Kirvesniemi / Myllylä |
| 16 | 1996–97 | 8 December 1996 | Davos, Switzerland | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 1st | Repo / Kirvesniemi / Myllylä |
| 17 | 1996–97 | 28 February 1997 | Trondheim, Norway | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Championships | 2nd | Kirvesniemi / Myllylä / Räsänen |
| 18 | 1997–98 | 23 November 1997 | Beitostølen, Norway | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 2nd | Kirvesniemi / Repo / Taipale |
| 19 | 1997–98 | 6 March 1998 | Lahti, Finland | 4 × 10 km Relay C/F | World Cup | 1st | Kirvesniemi / Myllylä / Repo |
| 20 | 1997–98 | 10 March 1998 | Falun, Sweden | 10 × 1.6 km Team Sprint F | World Cup | 3rd | Palolahti |
| 21 | 1999–00 | 19 December 1999 | Davos, Switzerland | 4 × 10 km Relay C | World Cup | 2nd | Immonen / Myllylä / Kirvesniemi |
Note: $^1$ Until the 1999 World Championships and the 1994 Olympics, World Championship and Olympic races were included in the World Cup scoring system.