Mika Kristian Myllylä (12 September 1969 – 5 July 2011[1]) was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed from 1992 to 2005.

He was on his way to become one of the greatest stars in cross-country skiing history, until he was caught doping in the Finnish 2001 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships scandal for taking hydroxyethyl starch (HES), a blood plasma expander usually used to cover up the use of erythropoietin (EPO) in athletes.

In connection with a 2011 court case, Myllylä gave a sworn statement where he admitted using EPO in the 1990s, during his career.

[2] After the suspension Myllylä tried to return to skiing, but failed to come back to the international level despite winning a few Finnish championships.

The official police investigation concluded that his death was the result of an accident, and ruled out the possibility of foul play and suicide.