Kaisa Varis
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| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's cross country skiing | |||
| World Championships | |||
| Bronze | 2001 Lahti | 15 km | |
| Disqualified | 2001 Lahti | 4 x 5 km | |
| Disqualified | 2003 Val di Fiemme | 4 x 5 km | |
Kaisa Varis (born September 21, 1975) is a Finnish cross country skier who competed from 1995 to 2006. She won the bronze medal in the 15 km at the 2001 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, but is better known for her doping contoversies at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
[edit] Doping controversies
In 2001, Varis was part of the 4 x 5 km relay that was disqualified when fellow skier Virpi Kuitunen was disqualified for taking hydoxyetyhl starch, a banned blood plasma expander. Varis was originally implicated, but later was cleared in this scandal. Two years later, at the 2003 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, she was suspended for five days before the event's start to a high hemoglobin count though allowed to compete when a second test came back five days later with a lower hemoglobin count. Varis competed in the 30 km event, but was disqualified for taking EPO, an endurance-enhancing drug and would serve a two-year suspension as a result.
[edit] Other career highlights
Varis's best individual finish at the Winter Olympics was 4th in the 15 km at Salt Lake City in 2002. She also has ten individual career victories at various distances from 1998 to 2002.
