Kaisa Varis Finnish skier and biathlete. Date of Birth: 21.09.1975 Country: Finland

Biography of Kaisa Varis

Kaisa Varis is a Finnish skier and biathlete. She made her debut in the Biathlon World Cup on November 29, 2007. Despite being the fastest in the individual race over 20 km, she finished in 45th place due to 7 missed shots. The next day, she placed fifth in the sprint event. Prior to her biathlon career, Varis competed in cross-country skiing from 1995 to 2006. In 2001, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Lahti in the 15 km classic event.

During the Salt Lake City Olympics, Kaisa Varis narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in the 15 km mass start freestyle race. However, in 2003, she was disqualified for two years following a doping violation at the World Championships in Val di Fiemme. As a result, the Finnish team was stripped of their silver medal in the relay event. Interestingly, Varis's relay team from the 2001 Championships, which also included Virpi Kuitunen, was also disqualified for doping, leading to the loss of a second-place finish.

Returning to the biathlon scene, Varis made her comeback on November 29, 2007, in the Biathlon World Cup. Despite her speed and 7 missed shots, she finished in 45th place in the individual race over 20 km. The following day, she placed fifth in the sprint event. On January 11, 2008, Varis achieved her first victory in Ruhpolding, Germany. With a flawless performance in the sprint event, she surpassed Russian athlete Svetlana Sleptsova by 16 seconds. However, a doping test conducted five days prior in Oberhof turned out to be positive for Varis, putting her at risk of a lifetime ban from the sport. On January 29, the B-sample confirmed the presence of erythropoietin in her system. As a result, she was disqualified from the ongoing World Championships, which started on February 9, and on February 11, she received a lifetime ban from the International Biathlon Union during an emergency meeting.