As a kid I really enjoyed his accomplishments and smooth, efficient running form.
Over the years, and the admission of at least one other Finnish runner that he (Maaninka) had cheated through blood doping, I began to doubt that whole era of Finnish running.
I see it this way, the Finns, and everyone else suspected and knew that the East Germans were doping - because comments and stories were coming out. Remember, at the time the stories were first leaking out of the Eastern Block, there wasn't much in the way of blood testing.
As history has proven, it was all true, the East Germans and the Eastern block were doping and in many cases giving the athletes the drugs and calling them "vitamins."
First we have stories, suspiscion, then eventually with the changes of history admissions and proof.
I think it is the same in concern to Viren and Vasala and that whole era of Finnish track. There were stories leaking out for years. After all, a new technique, like blood doping, isn't illegal, technically, until it is discovered and a way to test against it created and implemented.
So, when Viren says "I know I did nothing wrong." To me it has no teeth.
I've known a few Finns, and found them generally friendly, cordial, some with a dark sense of humor, and most with a real sense of privacy.
I also think of that adage "if it sounds to good to be true, it is" And another "Where there's smoke, there's fire."
So, first we have stories bleeding out (no pun) of Finland about their superior edge called "blood doping," an edge that others don't have because Finnish research on the techique was ahead of the world.
It wasn't technically illegal at that time.
But then years later we have one of the tight knit group, have a religious conversion - and admit that he blood doped his way to medals (Maaninka).
There is too much smoke.
My personal feeling is to doubt Viren's honesty; I believe he and Vasala and others doped.
I think it is completely plausible that they all, except Maaninka, kept the secret.
I consider Maaninka confession (if true) to be the smoke that calls into question that whole era of Finnish running.
So, my default is that those accomplishments were just too good to be true, and were most like dirty. There was a hell of a lot of world wide talent around back then.
And for Viren to dominate and win back to back 5 and 10k's - while notoriously and mostly dodging big races between Olymiads...
It is fishy. Too good to be true, and while I idolized the guy as a kid - what a great efficient running style he had... I now believe he cheated, that he was dirty, that he was part of the team that blood doped. He was also probably capable of winning a medal without the doping, but I just think the whole flow...stories coming out...too good to be true accomplishments, and then confirmation (Maaninka) of Finnish blood doping and cheating.
It is enough to make me suspect and believe he and other Finns of the day cheated.
I wonder what others think. I am sure some Finns, if they read here, will post nasty defenses - but the trail of history just plain points to the Finnish program - Viren included to have been dirty in that era.