From Norwegian newspaper (VG) on August 1, 2003Â
Best Doping Excuse Ever?
The Brazilian long jumper Mauren Maggi (27) – with this year's worlds longest jump – claims to have absorbed anabolic steroids by using a lotion after shaving. The claim is made through the Brazilian Track and Field Federation.
That’s a good one!
Sauna Worlds
Juha Mieto, the big, tall and colorful Finish ski racer that once lost an Olympic Gold medal by 1/100 second to Sweden’s Thomas Wassberg is one of the favorites to this year's Sauna World Championship.
Skills needed: endure extreme heat for the longest possible time.
Odds are given and you can even bet through book-makers on the various competitors.
The odds are low on Mieto but his trademark, the long beard, is mentioned as a possible disadvantage.
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Matti Nykanen in Trouble – Again
History’s best ever ski jumper — Mattie Nykanen of Finland is in trouble again — this time for beating his 4th(!) wife.
Matti was often in trouble as a ski jumper, while winning World and Olympic Gold. The years following his retirement have been full of scandals as well.
Some lowlights of his life off the ski hill:
1985 – sent home from World Cup competitions in the US
1986 – “went nuts†in an Austrian Disco
1987 — sent home from the German/Austrian jump week and refused to compete for Finland.
– Receives two months jail sentence for burglary
1989 — destroyed a hotel room, knocked down his second wife on their honey-moon in Thailand, fired his coach on TV while allegedly being drunk
1996 — 1998 – changed his name to Matti Paanala, started performing as a stripper and participated in X-rated movies.
2003 — wife beating and knife threat accusations by his 4th wife.
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