Martti Vainio
Encyclopedia
Martti Sakari Vainio is a former Finnish long distance runner. In Finland he is recognized as the last of the great runners of famous "V-line", the previous ones being Juha Väätäinen
, Lasse Virén
, and Pekka Vasala
. Each of them won at least one gold medal either at Summer Olympics or European Athletics Championships in the 1970s.
His achievements in major athletic championships include gold in the 10,000 metres race 1978 European Championships in Athletics
in Prague
and bronze in the same distance at the 1982 European Championships in Athletics
in Athens
. At the 1983 World Championships in Athletics
he dropped to fourth by a very short margin in the 10,000 metres race, and incensed by that caught the bronze in the 5000 metres
, which was also a closely contested fixture, Vainio only assuring his medal by a palpable lunge over the finish line.
medal in 1974 when finishing third in 5000 metres after Seppo Tuominen and Rune Holmén. In the same year he ran his first 10,000 m race with result 29:09.6. He broke the 29-minutes barrier for the first time in 1976. In the same year he was second at the Finnish Championships in Athletics
in 10,000 metres after Pekka Päivärinta
and became selected to his first Olympics
in Montreal
. However, he did not qualify for 10,000 metres
final, finishing as the second fastest runner to be eliminated from the final. He won his first Finnish Championship
in 1977 when beating Kaarlo Maaninka
by 0.9 seconds in 10,000 metres.
10,000 metres race, spending most of the distance among the lead group's last runners. He only started to rise in the lead group after 8,500 metres. Due to the fast and steady pace, the other runners – some of them presumably better kickers than Vainio – had exhausted themselves, and Vainio only needed to sprint the last lap in 58.4 seconds to win the race. Especially notable was the dropping of Brendan Foster
from the lead to the fourth place in the last 130 metres. His winning time 27:30.99 was fifth at the all-time list of that time and Vainio improved his personal best by 28.7 seconds. Later at the same championships Vainio was sixth in 5,000 metres race. At the Track & Field News
annual world ranking Vainio was second in 10,000 metres after world record breaker Henry Rono
and tenth in 5000 metres.
Because of his international breakthrough Vainio was one of the potential gold medal candidates prior to the 1980 Summer Olympics
. Vainio was also known about his tough training programs and during the winter 1980 he ran, at the most, over 300 kilometres per week during his four-month long training camp in New Zealand. Presumably that was too much and due to overtraining
and some unspecified stomach problems, Vainio did not succeed at the 1980 Summer Olympics
in Moscow, finishing 13th in the 10,000 metres final
and 11th in the 5,000 metres final
.
Despite the disappointment of the Olympic year Vainio returned to the world top and ran very good season in 1981 at his best event 10,000 metres. He won Bislett Games
in Oslo
by his second best result so far 27:45.50 and represented Europe at the 1981 IAAF World Cup
in Rome by finishing fifth with the result 27:48.62. At the Track & Field News
annual world ranking he was fourth after Werner Schildhauer
, Geoff Smith
, and Mohamed Kedir.
In the following year 1982 Vainio succeeded again at the European Championships
in Athens
where he won bronze medal after Alberto Cova
and Werner Schildhauer
in 10,000 metres with the excellent time 27:42.51. He competed in 5,000 metres as well and finished 8th. At the Track & Field News
annual world ranking Vainio was seventh in 10,000 metres.
. According to Vainio's own statement he started to use hormone
s in the autumn 1982 to avoid detrimental effects of overtraining
to his preparation to the first World Championships
in Helsinki
, the capital of his home-country Finland. According to Vainio, first hormone ampulla
s were retrieved from Palermo
in the autumn 1982.
Vainio succeeded in his preparation to his home championships excellently. 10,000 metres final was held in the third day of the Championships. Despite the slow race which culminated in the last lap Vainio finished fourth with time 28:01.37 missing gold medal only by 0.33 seconds and bronze by 0.11 seconds. The home audience was very impressed about his achievement, since they knew very well that he was not at his best in the slow races. Gold medal was won again by Alberto Cova
.
5000 metres final was held on the final day of the Championships. In his second-best event Vainio surprised Finnish audience with bronze medal. Final metres culminated again to tight competition after overwhelming champion Eamonn Coghlan
. As in the 10,000 metres race, Werner Schildhauer
took the silver beating Vainio by 0.14 seconds. Vainio reached his bronze medal in extraordinary way, he flinged himself in the last 5 metres by falling flat on his face. As a result he beat Dmitri Dmitriyev, who was fourth, by 0.04 seconds. Vainio considers this race as the most sentimental event of his career.
After the Championships Vainio competed in Weltklasse Zürich
and finished fourth in 5000 metres with his personal best 13:20.07. At the Track & Field News
annual world ranking Vainio was fourth in 5000 metres and seventh in 10,000 metres.
with his record time 2:13:04. After the race he gave doping sample in the test being organized by the Finnish Athletics Association. The test did not had official status and it was merely considered as a control test helping to avoid Finnish athletes not to get caught at the tests performed in international championships. Therefore, only the so called A-sample was taken and not the B-sample, which is used to ensure the test result after positive A-sample. However, Vainio's A-sample was tested positive for anabolic steroid
s and the head coach of the Finnish Athletics Federation, Antti Lanamäki, delegated Timo Vuorimaa, the head coach of long-distance runners, to inform Vainio about the test result. Vuorimaa informed Vainio only by mentioning that there was something strange in his test sample, not providing detailed information about the substance. Vainio believed that he had been using only testosterone
and not anabolic steroids at all. Therefore, his only action was to give up drug use a little bit earlier prior to anticipated tests.
Vainio's track season was really strong. In June 1984 he competed five times in 5000 metres the weakest result being 13:30.40 and once in 10,000 metres with his all-time second best result 27:41.75. At the Bislett Games
on 28 June he broke Lasse Virén
's Finnish record in 5000 metres and finished second after Fernando Mamede
with the result 13:16.02. In July he competed only three times; first two times in the Finnish Championships
on July 6–8 in Kajaani
where he took the gold medals after solo runs both in 5000 metres (13:24.99) and 10,000 metres (28:06.85), and third time when improving his 3000 metres record to 7:44.42 in Varkaus
, on 12 July. According to Vainio's interview in 2004, he took his next injection
after the Rotterdam Marathon
around 10 July and he was sure that this time period will be long enough to allow metabolism to take its effect and ensure him to give negative test at the Olympics
.
10,000 metres final
was run on 6 August. Vainio took the lead after 5700 metres and only Alberto Cova
was able to follow him. When the final lap started these two runners were well over 100 metres ahead of the other runners. This time, hovewer, Vainio was not able to challenge Cova
who took the gold with the time 27:47.54 and Vainio silver with the time 27:51.10. Far behind, Mike McLeod
was third in the finish line with the time 28:06.22. Vainio also qualified for the 5000 metres final
but he was not permitted to start after his doping sample following the 10,000 metres final tested positive for Metenolone
.
Especially in Finland Vainio's positive test result was big scandal and provoked public indignation. Although, Vainio's positive doping test after Rotterdam Marathon
was unofficial because of missing B-sample public pressure forced the Finnish Athletics Association to disqualify all Vainio's results after Rotterdam and to discharge Antti Lanamäki from his duties. Vainio himself did not wanted to provide detailed information about the event, probably partly because he was himself still investigating reasons for positive test result. Finnish mass media
demanded explanation and one story released to the public alleged that Vainio's training partner, the janitor Alpo Nyrönen had given Vainio a hormone
injection by accident, instead of the intended Vitamin B injection. Vainio himself released the explanation about the confusion between anabolic steroid
s and testosterone
only several years after the accident.
There are still some speculations and controversies around the Olympics 10,000 metres race
. Alberto Cova
has confessed the use of blood transfusion
in his career and therefore Mike McLeod
, originally third in the finish line, claims he should be awarded with the gold medal. However, Vainio considers himself as a second best runner in the 10,000 metres race
until the end of his life.
Although the Finnish Athletics Association disqualified all of the Vainio's results from the summer 1984, he was anyway internationally recognized. At the Track & Field News
annual world ranking he was fourth in 10,000 metres and eighth in 5000 metres.
27:44.57. At the European Championships he placed seventh in the 10,000 metres final with his time 28:08.72 and sixth in the 5000 metres final with the time 13:22.67. At the Track and Field News annual world ranking Vainio was sixth in 10,000 metres.
In 1987 Vainio concentrated on 10,000 metres and ran 27:42.65 in Helsinki
, 2 July. At the World Championships 10,000 metres race
ended in farce. The first half of the race was slow, 5000 metres lap time being only 14:13.07. At 5800 metres Paul Kipkoech
changed pace and left other runners behind. Francesco Panetta
, Salvatore Antibo
, and Vainio started their pursuit a little bit later and were not able to properly challenge Kipkoech. Subsequently Kipkoech was far ahead of other runners and the officials decremented the lap table, which displays the remaining laps to the runners, immediately after Kipkoech passed the finish line after each round. As a result, Vainio and some other runners became confused about the remaining laps and started their sprint 400 metres too early and finished the race after 9600 metres. Some runners continued the race after their "first finish", but Vainio was too tired to realize the situation. Vainio also competed in Marathon but after a fairly good start he did not finish. At the Track & Field News
annual world ranking Vainio was recognized as a seventh best runner in 10,000 metres.
In 1988 Vainio ran 10,000 metres in 28:02.04 at the Bislett Games
, but that was not enough to convince the Finnish Olympic Committee
and he was not selected to Olympics
anymore.
world record in 3000 meters 8:05.08 in Mikkeli
, 12 June. Later he improved also 10,000 metres world record 28:30.88 at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games
in Hengelo
, 25 June. At the World Masters Athletics Championships
in Turku
he won M40 10,000 metres with the result 29:16.88.
Vainio's winning time at the 1978 European Championships
in Prague
– 27:30.99 – is still the Finnish record and European Championship record.
Vainio's 10,000 metres time 28:30.58 in 1991 is still the World record of the age group M40.
Vainio achieved five Finnish Championships
in 5000 metres (1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1987) and eight in 10,000 metres (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, and 1987). He won Finnish Championship in the cross country running
four times in 1981, 1983, 1986 and 1987.
After his sports career, Martti Vainio has worked in the travel industry.
Juha Väätäinen
Juha Väätäinen is a former Finnish athlete. He is the winner of the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter gold medals at the 1971 European Championships held in Helsinki. He was the eldest of the successful Finnish runners Lasse Virén, Pekka Vasala, Tapio Kantanen, Martti Vainio, and Kaarlo Maaninka who...
, Lasse Virén
Lasse Virén
Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...
, and Pekka Vasala
Pekka Vasala
Pekka Antero Vasala was a middle-distance athlete who won an Olympic gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich....
. Each of them won at least one gold medal either at Summer Olympics or European Athletics Championships in the 1970s.
His achievements in major athletic championships include gold in the 10,000 metres race 1978 European Championships in Athletics
1978 European Championships in Athletics
The 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia.-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Field:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and bronze in the same distance at the 1982 European Championships in Athletics
1982 European Championships in Athletics
The 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. At the 1983 World Championships in Athletics
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
he dropped to fourth by a very short margin in the 10,000 metres race, and incensed by that caught the bronze in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
, which was also a closely contested fixture, Vainio only assuring his medal by a palpable lunge over the finish line.
Early career 1972–77
Martti Vainio started systematic training at the age of 20 in the autumn 1971 with his coach Aulis Potinkara. He received his first national championshipsFinnish Championships in Athletics
The Finnish Championships in Athletics, which are known as Kalevan kisat in Finnish, were first held in Tampere in 1907. Since then, they have been held in a different location every year...
medal in 1974 when finishing third in 5000 metres after Seppo Tuominen and Rune Holmén. In the same year he ran his first 10,000 m race with result 29:09.6. He broke the 29-minutes barrier for the first time in 1976. In the same year he was second at the Finnish Championships in Athletics
Finnish Championships in Athletics
The Finnish Championships in Athletics, which are known as Kalevan kisat in Finnish, were first held in Tampere in 1907. Since then, they have been held in a different location every year...
in 10,000 metres after Pekka Päivärinta
Pekka Päivärinta
Pekka Johannes Päivärinta is a former Finnish long-distance runner. He won men's senior race in the first World Championships of cross-country running in 1973. He competed in 1972 Olympics at 3000-meter steeplechase finishing 8th. In 1976 Olympics he competed in 5000 meters and finished 13th...
and became selected to his first Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. However, he did not qualify for 10,000 metres
Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres
The official results of the Men's 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. The final was held on Monday July 26, 1976 after the qualifying heats were run on Friday July 23, 1976.-Medalists:-Records:...
final, finishing as the second fastest runner to be eliminated from the final. He won his first Finnish Championship
Finnish Championships in Athletics
The Finnish Championships in Athletics, which are known as Kalevan kisat in Finnish, were first held in Tampere in 1907. Since then, they have been held in a different location every year...
in 1977 when beating Kaarlo Maaninka
Kaarlo Maaninka
Kaarlo Hannes Maaninka is a former Finnish long distance runner who won a silver medal in the 10,000 metres and a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.- Records :* 1 500 m: 3.46,80...
by 0.9 seconds in 10,000 metres.
Years of success 1978–82
Vainio ran intelligently in the 1978 European Championships1978 European Championships in Athletics
The 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia.-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Field:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
10,000 metres race, spending most of the distance among the lead group's last runners. He only started to rise in the lead group after 8,500 metres. Due to the fast and steady pace, the other runners – some of them presumably better kickers than Vainio – had exhausted themselves, and Vainio only needed to sprint the last lap in 58.4 seconds to win the race. Especially notable was the dropping of Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster CBE is a British former distance runner, entrepreneur and the founder of the Great North Run. He won the Bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics...
from the lead to the fourth place in the last 130 metres. His winning time 27:30.99 was fifth at the all-time list of that time and Vainio improved his personal best by 28.7 seconds. Later at the same championships Vainio was sixth in 5,000 metres race. At the Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
annual world ranking Vainio was second in 10,000 metres after world record breaker Henry Rono
Henry Rono
Henry Rono is a Kenyan former athlete.-Biography:Rono was born in Nandi Hills, Kenya, into the Nandi tribe. He started running while at primary school. Starting in 1976 he attended the Washington State University, along with his compatriot Samson Kimobwa, who broke the 10,000 meter world record in...
and tenth in 5000 metres.
Because of his international breakthrough Vainio was one of the potential gold medal candidates prior to the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. Vainio was also known about his tough training programs and during the winter 1980 he ran, at the most, over 300 kilometres per week during his four-month long training camp in New Zealand. Presumably that was too much and due to overtraining
Overtraining
Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness...
and some unspecified stomach problems, Vainio did not succeed at the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow, finishing 13th in the 10,000 metres final
Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres
These are the official results of the men's 10,000 metres event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union. There were a total number of 43 participating athletes, with the final held on Sunday July 27, 1980.-Medalists:-Records:...
and 11th in the 5,000 metres final
Athletics at the 1980 Summer Olympics - Men's 5000 metres
These are the official results of the Men's 5000 metres event at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union. There were a total number of 34 participating athletes, with the final held on Thursday 31 July 1980.-Final:-Semi Finals:...
.
Despite the disappointment of the Olympic year Vainio returned to the world top and ran very good season in 1981 at his best event 10,000 metres. He won Bislett Games
Bislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
by his second best result so far 27:45.50 and represented Europe at the 1981 IAAF World Cup
1981 IAAF World Cup
The 3rd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on September 4–6, 1981, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.-Men:|width="50"| ...
in Rome by finishing fifth with the result 27:48.62. At the Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
annual world ranking he was fourth after Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer is a retired German track and field athlete, who represented the former East Germany at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow in the 10,000 meter run and placed 7th behind his team mate Jörg Peter .-Career:At the...
, Geoff Smith
Geoff Smith (athlete)
Geoffrey Smith is a British long-distance runner who won the Boston Marathon in both 1984 and 1985.-Notable Information:...
, and Mohamed Kedir.
In the following year 1982 Vainio succeeded again at the European Championships
1982 European Championships in Athletics
The 13th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 September to 12 September 1982 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Field:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |1990 |-Track:1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
where he won bronze medal after Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova is a retired Italian athlete, winner of the 10,000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Career:Born in Inverigo, province of Como, Italy, Alberto Cova was characterized by his superiority in the sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to...
and Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer is a retired German track and field athlete, who represented the former East Germany at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow in the 10,000 meter run and placed 7th behind his team mate Jörg Peter .-Career:At the...
in 10,000 metres with the excellent time 27:42.51. He competed in 5,000 metres as well and finished 8th. At the Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
annual world ranking Vainio was seventh in 10,000 metres.
World Championships in Helsinki 1983
After the 1982 season collaboration of Vainio and Potinkara ended in mutual understanding and Vainio started to plan his training by himself. However, certain people started to influence his training, one among the others was Jouko Elevaara, known as a couch of Kaarlo MaaninkaKaarlo Maaninka
Kaarlo Hannes Maaninka is a former Finnish long distance runner who won a silver medal in the 10,000 metres and a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.- Records :* 1 500 m: 3.46,80...
. According to Vainio's own statement he started to use hormone
Hormone
A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
s in the autumn 1982 to avoid detrimental effects of overtraining
Overtraining
Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness...
to his preparation to the first World Championships
1983 World Championships in Athletics
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics were run under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations and were held at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland between August 7 and August 14, 1983....
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, the capital of his home-country Finland. According to Vainio, first hormone ampulla
Ampulla
An ampulla was, in Ancient Rome, a "small nearly globular flask or bottle, with two handles" . The word is used of these in archaeology, and of later flasks, often handle-less and much flatter, for holy water or holy oil in the Middle Ages....
s were retrieved from Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
in the autumn 1982.
Vainio succeeded in his preparation to his home championships excellently. 10,000 metres final was held in the third day of the Championships. Despite the slow race which culminated in the last lap Vainio finished fourth with time 28:01.37 missing gold medal only by 0.33 seconds and bronze by 0.11 seconds. The home audience was very impressed about his achievement, since they knew very well that he was not at his best in the slow races. Gold medal was won again by Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova is a retired Italian athlete, winner of the 10,000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Career:Born in Inverigo, province of Como, Italy, Alberto Cova was characterized by his superiority in the sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to...
.
5000 metres final was held on the final day of the Championships. In his second-best event Vainio surprised Finnish audience with bronze medal. Final metres culminated again to tight competition after overwhelming champion Eamonn Coghlan
Eamonn Coghlan
Eamonn Christopher Coghlan is an Irish Senator and former athlete, who specialised in middle distance track events and the 5000 metres...
. As in the 10,000 metres race, Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer
Werner Schildhauer is a retired German track and field athlete, who represented the former East Germany at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow in the 10,000 meter run and placed 7th behind his team mate Jörg Peter .-Career:At the...
took the silver beating Vainio by 0.14 seconds. Vainio reached his bronze medal in extraordinary way, he flinged himself in the last 5 metres by falling flat on his face. As a result he beat Dmitri Dmitriyev, who was fourth, by 0.04 seconds. Vainio considers this race as the most sentimental event of his career.
After the Championships Vainio competed in Weltklasse Zürich
Weltklasse Zürich
Weltklasse Zürich is an annual track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. One of the first large-scale international athletics events , it is sometimes referred to as the one day...
and finished fourth in 5000 metres with his personal best 13:20.07. At the Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
annual world ranking Vainio was fourth in 5000 metres and seventh in 10,000 metres.
Doping case at the Olympics 1984
In 1984 Vainio started his season by finishing third at the Rotterdam MarathonRotterdam Marathon
The Rotterdam Marathon is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April of every year since the third edition in 1984, and attracts many top athletes. It has also been ranked as one of the top 10 marathons in the world by Runner's World...
with his record time 2:13:04. After the race he gave doping sample in the test being organized by the Finnish Athletics Association. The test did not had official status and it was merely considered as a control test helping to avoid Finnish athletes not to get caught at the tests performed in international championships. Therefore, only the so called A-sample was taken and not the B-sample, which is used to ensure the test result after positive A-sample. However, Vainio's A-sample was tested positive for anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
s and the head coach of the Finnish Athletics Federation, Antti Lanamäki, delegated Timo Vuorimaa, the head coach of long-distance runners, to inform Vainio about the test result. Vuorimaa informed Vainio only by mentioning that there was something strange in his test sample, not providing detailed information about the substance. Vainio believed that he had been using only testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
and not anabolic steroids at all. Therefore, his only action was to give up drug use a little bit earlier prior to anticipated tests.
Vainio's track season was really strong. In June 1984 he competed five times in 5000 metres the weakest result being 13:30.40 and once in 10,000 metres with his all-time second best result 27:41.75. At the Bislett Games
Bislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...
on 28 June he broke Lasse Virén
Lasse Virén
Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...
's Finnish record in 5000 metres and finished second after Fernando Mamede
Fernando Mamede
Fernando Eugénio Pacheco Mamede is a former Portuguese athlete, a long distance running specialist. He was born in Beja. Together with Carlos Lopes, he is one of the best Portuguese male long distance runners ever, and held the 10,000 metres world record with a time of 27:13.81 until bested by...
with the result 13:16.02. In July he competed only three times; first two times in the Finnish Championships
Finnish Championships in Athletics
The Finnish Championships in Athletics, which are known as Kalevan kisat in Finnish, were first held in Tampere in 1907. Since then, they have been held in a different location every year...
on July 6–8 in Kajaani
Kajaani
Kajaani is a town and municipality in Finland.It is the capital of the Kainuu region. It is located southeast of Oulujärvi , which drains to the Gulf of Bothnia along the Oulujoki . There are inhabitants and city surface area is of which is water. The population density is . The town is...
where he took the gold medals after solo runs both in 5000 metres (13:24.99) and 10,000 metres (28:06.85), and third time when improving his 3000 metres record to 7:44.42 in Varkaus
Varkaus
Varkaus is a Middle-Savonian industrial town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .The municipality is...
, on 12 July. According to Vainio's interview in 2004, he took his next injection
Injection (medicine)
An injection is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body...
after the Rotterdam Marathon
Rotterdam Marathon
The Rotterdam Marathon is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April of every year since the third edition in 1984, and attracts many top athletes. It has also been ranked as one of the top 10 marathons in the world by Runner's World...
around 10 July and he was sure that this time period will be long enough to allow metabolism to take its effect and ensure him to give negative test at the Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
.
10,000 metres final
Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres
These are the official results of the Men's 10,000 metres event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There were a total number of 41 participating athletes.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:-Records:...
was run on 6 August. Vainio took the lead after 5700 metres and only Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova is a retired Italian athlete, winner of the 10,000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Career:Born in Inverigo, province of Como, Italy, Alberto Cova was characterized by his superiority in the sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to...
was able to follow him. When the final lap started these two runners were well over 100 metres ahead of the other runners. This time, hovewer, Vainio was not able to challenge Cova
Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova is a retired Italian athlete, winner of the 10,000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Career:Born in Inverigo, province of Como, Italy, Alberto Cova was characterized by his superiority in the sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to...
who took the gold with the time 27:47.54 and Vainio silver with the time 27:51.10. Far behind, Mike McLeod
Mike McLeod
Mike McLeod is a former British athlete who competed mainly in the 10,000 metres....
was third in the finish line with the time 28:06.22. Vainio also qualified for the 5000 metres final
Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics - Men's 5000 metres
These are the official results of the Men's 5000 metres event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:-Records:...
but he was not permitted to start after his doping sample following the 10,000 metres final tested positive for Metenolone
Metenolone
Metenolone is a long-acting anabolic steroid with weak androgenic properties. It is supplied as the acetate ester for oral administration and as the enanthate ester for intramuscular injection. Adult doses for the treatment of aplastic anemia are usually in a range of 1-3 mg/kg per day....
.
Especially in Finland Vainio's positive test result was big scandal and provoked public indignation. Although, Vainio's positive doping test after Rotterdam Marathon
Rotterdam Marathon
The Rotterdam Marathon is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April of every year since the third edition in 1984, and attracts many top athletes. It has also been ranked as one of the top 10 marathons in the world by Runner's World...
was unofficial because of missing B-sample public pressure forced the Finnish Athletics Association to disqualify all Vainio's results after Rotterdam and to discharge Antti Lanamäki from his duties. Vainio himself did not wanted to provide detailed information about the event, probably partly because he was himself still investigating reasons for positive test result. Finnish mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
demanded explanation and one story released to the public alleged that Vainio's training partner, the janitor Alpo Nyrönen had given Vainio a hormone
Hormone
A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
injection by accident, instead of the intended Vitamin B injection. Vainio himself released the explanation about the confusion between anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
s and testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
only several years after the accident.
There are still some speculations and controversies around the Olympics 10,000 metres race
Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres
These are the official results of the Men's 10,000 metres event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There were a total number of 41 participating athletes.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:-Records:...
. Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova
Alberto Cova is a retired Italian athlete, winner of the 10,000 m at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Career:Born in Inverigo, province of Como, Italy, Alberto Cova was characterized by his superiority in the sprint finish, and the only way to nullify this was to set a very fast pace from the start to...
has confessed the use of blood transfusion
Blood doping
Blood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because such blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, a higher concentration in the blood can improve an athlete’s aerobic capacity and...
in his career and therefore Mike McLeod
Mike McLeod
Mike McLeod is a former British athlete who competed mainly in the 10,000 metres....
, originally third in the finish line, claims he should be awarded with the gold medal. However, Vainio considers himself as a second best runner in the 10,000 metres race
Athletics at the 1984 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres
These are the official results of the Men's 10,000 metres event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There were a total number of 41 participating athletes.-Medalists:-Abbreviations:-Records:...
until the end of his life.
Although the Finnish Athletics Association disqualified all of the Vainio's results from the summer 1984, he was anyway internationally recognized. At the Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
annual world ranking he was fourth in 10,000 metres and eighth in 5000 metres.
Return to the tracks 1986–88
Initially Vainio received a life-long ban from competitive athletics, but after the Finnish Athletics Association made a plea for a reprieve, it was shortened to 18 months. In 1986 Vainio returned to the track and ran 10,000 metres at the Bislett GamesBislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...
27:44.57. At the European Championships he placed seventh in the 10,000 metres final with his time 28:08.72 and sixth in the 5000 metres final with the time 13:22.67. At the Track and Field News annual world ranking Vainio was sixth in 10,000 metres.
In 1987 Vainio concentrated on 10,000 metres and ran 27:42.65 in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, 2 July. At the World Championships 10,000 metres race
1987 World Championships in Athletics
The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987.-Track:1983 | 1987 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995...
ended in farce. The first half of the race was slow, 5000 metres lap time being only 14:13.07. At 5800 metres Paul Kipkoech
Paul Kipkoech
Paul Kipkoech was a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres and cross-country running. He became world champion over 10,000 m in 1987....
changed pace and left other runners behind. Francesco Panetta
Francesco Panetta
Francesco Panetta is a former Italian long-distance runner, who won several medals at international championships in the 1980s. His greatest achievement was the victory at the World Championships' final over 3000m steeplechase in Rome 1987...
, Salvatore Antibo
Salvatore Antibo
Salvatore Antibo is a former long distance runner from Italy.-Career:Antibo was born on February 7, 1962 in Altofonte, within the province of Palermo ....
, and Vainio started their pursuit a little bit later and were not able to properly challenge Kipkoech. Subsequently Kipkoech was far ahead of other runners and the officials decremented the lap table, which displays the remaining laps to the runners, immediately after Kipkoech passed the finish line after each round. As a result, Vainio and some other runners became confused about the remaining laps and started their sprint 400 metres too early and finished the race after 9600 metres. Some runners continued the race after their "first finish", but Vainio was too tired to realize the situation. Vainio also competed in Marathon but after a fairly good start he did not finish. At the Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...
annual world ranking Vainio was recognized as a seventh best runner in 10,000 metres.
In 1988 Vainio ran 10,000 metres in 28:02.04 at the Bislett Games
Bislett Games
The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...
, but that was not enough to convince the Finnish Olympic Committee
Finnish Olympic Committee
The Finnish Olympic Committee is the national Olympic committee in Finland for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Finnish competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee .- Presidents :* Reinhold...
and he was not selected to Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
anymore.
Masters World Records 1991
Vainio returned to the tracks once again in 1991. He ran age group M40 MastersMasters athletics (track and field)
Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for veteran athletes in the events of track and field, road running and cross country running. The competitions feature five-year age groups beginning at age 35. Men as old as 104 and women in their 100s have competed in running, jumping and...
world record in 3000 meters 8:05.08 in Mikkeli
Mikkeli
Mikkeli is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located in what used to be the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
, 12 June. Later he improved also 10,000 metres world record 28:30.88 at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games
Fanny Blankers-Koen Games
The FBK Games is an annual track and field event at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadion in Hengelo, Netherlands as part of the IAAF World Challenge Meetings. It was first organized in 1981...
in Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...
, 25 June. At the World Masters Athletics Championships
World Masters Athletics Championships
The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biannual championships for athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes over the age of 35 years old....
in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
he won M40 10,000 metres with the result 29:16.88.
Trivia
During his career (1974–91) Vainio competed 80 times in 10,000 metres. He ran 68 times below 29-minute barrier, 24 times below 28:10, and 10 times below 28 minutes.Vainio's winning time at the 1978 European Championships
1978 European Championships in Athletics
The 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 in Prague, the capital city of Czechoslovakia.-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Field:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |-Track:1971 |1974 |1978 |1982 |1986 |...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
– 27:30.99 – is still the Finnish record and European Championship record.
Vainio's 10,000 metres time 28:30.58 in 1991 is still the World record of the age group M40.
Vainio achieved five Finnish Championships
Finnish Championships in Athletics
The Finnish Championships in Athletics, which are known as Kalevan kisat in Finnish, were first held in Tampere in 1907. Since then, they have been held in a different location every year...
in 5000 metres (1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, and 1987) and eight in 10,000 metres (1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, and 1987). He won Finnish Championship in the cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
four times in 1981, 1983, 1986 and 1987.
After his sports career, Martti Vainio has worked in the travel industry.
See also
- Use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Olympic Games
- List of doping cases in sport