Jari Isometsä

Jari Olavi Isometsä ( born September 11, 1968 in Alatornio ) is a former Finnish cross-country skiers.

Sporting career

Isometsä won the 1992, 1994 and 1998 with the Finnish team the bronze medal at the Winter Olympics. With the Finnish season he could further two silver medals (1995, 1997) and one bronze (1991 ) win at Nordic World Ski Championships. In pursuit competition he latched on at the Nordic World Ski Championships in 1995 with the bronze medal his only medal in an individual competition.

Isometsä won four World Cup competitions during his career. His first World Cup victory came in 1996 at home in Lahti on the 30 km freestyle, where he could Bjørn Dæhlie refer in second place. In March 2000 Isometsä standing in italian Bormio the last time on the top step of the podium. There he won the pursuit competition before Johann Mühlegg. Between 1994 and 2000 he was able to place each season in the top ten of the overall World Cup. In 1994 and 1996 he finished third overall, and in 2000 he was able to prove behind Johann Mühlegg place. In this year he also won the one-off discharged middle distance World Cup.

At the Nordic World Ski Championships 2001 in Lahti Isometsä took second place behind Per Elofsson in the pursuit competition. When subsequently carried out doping control him taking the blood plasma expander hydroxyethyl starch, however, was detected. Isometsä lost his silver medal and was then occupied by the FIS with a two-year doping suspension.

After his doping suspension Isometsä returned again in 2003 to the World Cup back, but could not place it in the front of the field itself. In 2006, he finished his career after the competition about 15 km classic in the Estonian Otepaeae, in which he finished in 40th place.