Andrus Veerpalu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrus Veerpalu
Andrus Veerpalu in 2013
Country	Estonia
Born	(1971-02-08) 8 February 1971 (age 54) Pärnu, Estonia
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Ski club	Jõulu
World Cup career
Seasons	19 – (1992–2006, 2008–2011)
Individual wins	6
Indiv. podiums	11
Team podiums	0
Indiv. starts	141
Team starts	28
Overall titles	0 – (7th in 2003, 2004)
Discipline titles	0
Medal record Men's cross-country skiing Representing Estonia Olympic Games Gold 2002 Salt Lake City 15 km classical Gold 2006 Turin 15 km classical Silver 2002 Salt Lake City 50 km classical World Championships Gold 2001 Lahti 30 km classical Gold 2009 Liberec 15 km classical Silver 1999 Ramsau 50 km classical

Andrus Veerpalu (born February 8, 1971) is a famous retired cross-country skier from Estonia. He is known as Estonia's most successful athlete at the Winter Olympics. He won two gold medals in the men's 15-kilometer classical race in 2002 and 2006. He also earned a silver medal in the men's 50-kilometer classical race in 2002.

Skiing Achievements

Andrus Veerpalu had an amazing career in cross-country skiing. He won many important races and medals.

Olympic Gold Medals

On February 17, 2006, Andrus Veerpalu won his second Winter Olympics gold medal. This was for the 15-kilometer cross-country skiing event. His first gold medal was from the Salt Lake City games. This made him one of only a few Estonian athletes to win two Olympic gold medals. He is the most successful Olympic athlete from Estonia, with a total of three medals.

World Championship Success

Veerpalu also did very well at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

• He won a gold medal in the 15-kilometer race in 2009 in Liberec.
• He won another gold medal in the 30-kilometer race in 2001 in Lahti.
• He earned a silver medal in the 50-kilometer race in 1999 in Ramsau.

He also won the 50-kilometer event at the famous Holmenkollen ski festival in Norway twice, in 2003 and 2005. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, he finished 6th in the men's 50-kilometer classical race.

Oldest Champion

Andrus Veerpalu became the oldest world champion in cross-country skiing history. He won the 15-kilometer classical event at Liberec 2009 when he was 38 years old. He is also the oldest Olympic champion in an individual distance race.

Holmenkollen Medal

In 2005, Veerpalu received the Holmenkollen medal. This is a very special award given to top skiers. He was the first Estonian to ever receive this honor.

Olympic Appearances

Veerpalu is one of only four athletes to compete in cross-country skiing at six Winter Olympics. This shows how long and successful his career was.

Retirement from Skiing

On February 23, 2011, Andrus Veerpalu announced that he was ending his professional skiing career. He made this decision because of a long-term knee injury.

A Big Challenge and a Clear Name

Several months after Veerpalu retired, it was announced that he had a positive test result for HGH (a type of growth hormone). However, he strongly stated that he was innocent.

• Estonian biochemistry doctors explained that the test method might not have been reliable enough. They said it was hard to tell the difference between natural HGH and any artificial HGH.
• Veerpalu appealed the test result to the International Ski Federation (FIS).
• The FIS anti-doping group found him guilty and banned him for three years. They said his team did not cooperate enough.
• But a group of top Estonian scientists looked into the matter. They believed Veerpalu's test result was a "false positive," meaning it looked positive but wasn't actually due to doping.
• Finally, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) looked at the case. On March 25, 2013, the court cleared Veerpalu's name. They lifted his doping ban and even ordered the FIS to pay some of his court costs.
• The court said that while there were some things that "indicated" he might have used HGH, the test itself was not reliable enough to prove it. This meant he was not found guilty.

Olympic Results

Andrus Veerpalu competed in many Olympic Games. Here are his results:

• 3 medals – (2 gold, 1 silver)

World Championship Results

Andrus Veerpalu also won medals at the World Championships:

• 3 medals – (2 gold, 1 silver)

Personal Life

Andrus Veerpalu is married to Angela Veerpalu. They have five children together.

See also

In Spanish: Andrus Veerpalu para niños