Johann Mühlegg


Johann Mühlegg is a former top level cross-country skier who competed in international competitions first representing Germany and then Spain, after becoming a Spanish citizen in 1999. He was excluded and disqualified from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City for doping.

Early career

Mühlegg participated for Germany in the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics, even though he began having trouble with Germany's ski federation in 1993. From the beginning, Mühlegg singled himself out, at one point accusing German head coach Georg Zipfel for "damaging him spiritually". He was thrown off the team in 1995, but was reinstated later. But from that moment on, the ever eccentric Mühlegg insisted on taking a flask of holy water with him at all times, and trusting only his Portuguese cleaning woman/chaperone Justina Agostino. In the end, Mühlegg was branded as a team cancer and was thrown out.

Competing for Spain

After being ejected from the national team after the 1998 Nagano Games, his good relations with members of the Spanish cross-country skiing team, in particular Juan Jesús Gutiérrez Cuevas and Haritz Zunzunegui, opened the door for Mühlegg to obtain Spanish citizenship.
In late 1999, competing for Spain, he won a World Cup race for the first time. At the 2001 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, he won two medals with a silver in the 10 km + 10 km combined pursuit, and a gold in the 50 km freestyle race. These are the only medals ever that Spain has won at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
In the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Mühlegg won gold medals in the 30 km freestyle and the 10 km + 10 km pursuit races, the successes gaining him congratulations from King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
Mühlegg finished first in the 50 km classical race held on the final Saturday of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games on 23 February 2002 but was disqualified from that race and was expelled from the Games the next day, after testing positive for darbepoetin¹.

Doping controversy

Following the darbepoetin scandal, the International Olympic Committee initially let Mühlegg keep his gold medals from the first two races. But in December 2003 a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that these medals should also be withdrawn. The CAS remitted this case as well as similar ones involving Olga Danilova and Larisa Lazutina to the IOC Executive Board, which confirmed the rulings in February 2004.

World Cup results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation.

World Cup standings

Individual podiums

No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlace
11999–0010 December 1999 Sappada, Italy15 km Individual FWorld Cup1st
21999–009 January 2000 Moscow, Russia30 km Individual FWorld Cup1st
31999–0012 January 2000 Nové Město, Czech Republic15 km Individual CWorld Cup2nd
41999–005 February 2000 Lillehammer, Norway10 km + 10 km Skiathlon C/FWorld Cup2nd
51999–0020 February 2000 Transjurassienne, France72 km Mass Start FWorld Cup1st
61999–0026 February 2000 Falun, Sweden15 km Individual FWorld Cup1st
71999–0019 March 2000 Bormio, Italy15 km Pursuit FWorld Cup2nd
8 2000–01 16 December 2000 Brusson, Italy10 km + 10 km Skiathlon C/FWorld Cup2nd
9 2000–01 10 January 2001 Soldier Hollow, United States30 km Mass Start FWorld Cup1st
10 2000–01 13 January 2001 Soldier Hollow, United States10 km Individual CWorld Cup1st
11 2000–01 14 March 2001 Borlänge, Sweden10 km Individual FWorld Cup3rd
122001–0212 December 2001 Brusson, Italy15 km Individual FWorld Cup1st