Juha Mieto

Juha Iisakki Mieto, born on 20 November 1949 in Kurikka, is a Finnish former cross-country skier who competed at the Olympics in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 and won five medals, including a gold medal in the 4 x 10 km relay in 1976. He is remembered for the 15 km race of 1980, where he finished second by 0.01 seconds, the closest margin of victory in Olympic cross-country skiing, which led the International Ski Federation to round all of its times to the nearest tenth of a second. At the Holmenkollen ski festival he won the 50 km once and the 15 km five times, and he received the Holmenkollen medal in 1974. After retiring from competition in 1984 he worked in public relations for several organizations, and in 2007 he was elected to the Finnish parliament as a Centre Party candidate.