Doping, Death, and Dæhlie: What happened to the 1997 World Championship heroes?

Traditional skiing

Doping, Death, and Dæhlie: What happened to the 1997 World Championship heroes?

by Ingeborg Scheve/ Translated by Katerina Paul • 22.02.2025

970225 Skidor, VM, 15 km, jaktstart: Björn Dählie, Norge jublar med en norska publiken efter segern. Foto: BILDBYRÅN / 20395 1997 world championship

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Photo: BILDBYRÅN

Three men dominated the 1997 World Championships in Trondheim, but only one of them is still alive today.

What happened to the 1997 World Championship heroes?

It’s been nearly 30 years since the last World Championships were held in Trondheim. It was the year before the 1998 Nagano Olympics, two years after the scandal-ridden 1995 World Championships in Thunder Bay, Canada, and three years after the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

The program for the 1997 Trondheim World Championships included four individual events as well as relays for both men and women. The men competed in the 10 km classic, 15 km freestyle pursuit, 30 km freestyle, and 50 km classic, along with the 4 x 10 km relay.

Three men dominated the podium across all four individual events: Bjørn Dæhlie, Russian Alexei Prokurorov, and Finnish skier Mika Myllylä shared the gold medals between them. Dæhlie won two, while Prokurorov and Myllylä each claimed one.

Dæhlie is the only one of the three still alive.

What happened to the 1997 World Championship heroes?

Bjørn Dæhlie

Bjørn Dæhlie won the first two races at the 1997 World Championships in Trondheim: the 10 km classic and the 15 km freestyle pursuit. Prokurorov won the 30 km, and Myllylä took gold in the 50 km.

Dæhlie won a total of eight Olympic gold medals and nine World Championship titles before retiring from cross-country skiing in 2001 due to back problems.

After his active career, Dæhlie launched the clothing brand Bjørn Dæhlie Active Wear and has been involved in real estate and business development. He and his wife, Vilde Falck-Ytter, have two sons. In 2022, the couple moved to Switzerland.

Skidor, VM, 15 km: Björn Dählie,
Photo: BILDBYRÅN

Alexei Prokurorov

Alexei Prokurorov retired after the 2001/2002 season, having won eight Olympic and World Championship medals. He became a coach for the Russian national team after retiring. However, in 2008, at just 44 years old, he was tragically killed. Prokurorov was hit by a drunk driver without a license near a train station in the city of Vladimir.

VM, 15 km, jaktstart: Alexey Prokuroroy
Photo: BILDBYRÅN

Mika Myllylä

Mika Myllylä was involved in the Finnish doping scandal at the 2001 World Championships in Lahti. He was banned for two years. After serving his suspension, he attempted several comebacks in the World Cup but was unsuccessful. Struggling with alcohol and violence issues, he was found dead in his home in 2011 at the age of 41.

The 1997 World Championship Relay

Norway won the men’s relay at the 1997 World Championships with a team consisting of Sture Sivertsen, Erling Jevne, Bjørn Dæhlie, and Thomas Alsgaard.

Finland took silver with Harri Kirvesniemi, Mika Myllylä, Jari Räsänen, and Jari Isometsä, while Italy secured bronze with Giorgio Di Centa, Silvio Fauner, Pietro Piller Cottrer, and Fulvio Valbusa.

Sprint events were not part of the program at the 1997 World Championships in Trondheim. Sprint races were introduced for the first time at the 2001 World Championships in Lahti, Finland.