"Did you know" Lahti 2017 Ladies' 30 km free
Aug 31, 2018·Cross-Country
**World Championships – Ladies' 30km Freestyle – 4 March
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Norway chasing historic sixth gold medal
The ladies' 30km freestyle race was first held at the 1989 World Championships in Lahti, as previously it was a 20km race.
Norwegian athletes have won all the five ladies' events at these World Championships, equaling their gold medal tally from 2011, 2013 and 2015.
No country has previously won all six gold medals at a single World Championships (men or ladies). Russia won all gold medals in 1995 and 1997, when the World Championships had only five events.
Norway has claimed six medals in ladies' events in Lahti and cannot reach their record medal tally of 10 from 2013.
They need two medals in this final event to equal their total of eight medals from 2011 and 2015. Finland (1989) and Russia (1995) have claimed nine medals in ladies' events at a single WSC.
Marit Bjørgen could win more than two individual distance events at a regular World Championships. Elena Val̈be won all four in 1997. In addition, Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi won three individual gold medals at the 1984 Olympic Winter Games.
Bjørgen is tied with Val̈be on a record three gold medals in the 30km freestyle event at OWG/WSC combined.
Bjørgen has won twice at World Championships and once at the Olympic Winter Games, while Val̈be won all of her three 30km races at the World Championships.
Bjørgen has won 21 of her 23 gold medals at WSC/OWG in races with mass start (8 individual mass start distance events, 8 team events and 5 individual sprint events). She won only two gold medals in distance races with an individual start, the gold in the 10km classic in Oslo 2011 and the same distance here in Lahti.
Bjørgen could start in her 60th race at World Championships and Olympic Games combined on Saturday. Only Valentina Shevchenko (64) and Oxana Jatskaja (62) have more starts.
Norway has won the last 10 races in 30km freestyle/classic at the World Cup, World Championships and Olympic Games combined, a streak that goes back to March 2010. The last non-Norwegian to win this event was Justyna Kowalczyk at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games (classic style) - she was also the last non- Norwegian winner in freestyle, winning at the 2009 WSC.
In total, Bjørgen has finished four times on the podium in the 30km freestyle event at the World Cup, WSC and OWG.
Of skiers active in these championships, only Valentina Shevchenko (3), Charlotte Kalla (1), Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen (1) and Yulia Tchekaleva (1) are the only athletes besides Bjørgen to have finished on the podium in this event. Justyna Kowalczyk (4) will not participate on Saturday.
Kalla could equal own record medal tally from Falun
Charlotte Kalla could claim her fourth medal at these World Championships, equalling her medal tally from Falun 2015. Kalla was the first Swedish female athlete to claim four medals at a single championships (WSC and OWG).
Besides Kalla, three Swedish men have claimed four medals at one championships: Sixten Jernberg (OWG 1956), Gunde Svan (OWG 1984 and WSC 1991) and Thomas Wassberg (WSC 1987).
In 14 international starts in 30km races, Kalla reached the podium twice: in her first ever start at the World Cup in Oslo in March 2008 (second place in free technique) and at the 2015 World Championships in Falun (bronze in classic style).
Kalla is the only female athlete to claim a medal at each of the last seven Championships (WSC 2009, OWG 2010, WSC 2011, WSC 2013, OWG 2014, WSC 2015 and WSC 2017).
Kalla has claimed a total of 17 medals at WSC and OWG combined. Only Stefania Belmondo (10) has claimed more silver medals at WSC/OWG than Kalla (9).
No Swedish woman has won ever won a 30km freestyle event at the World Cup, WSC or OWG. Kalla and Antonina Ordina are the only two athletes representing Sweden who finished on the podium in this event. Marie-Helene Os̈tlund (Westin) won the last 20km freestyle race at the World Championships in Oberstdorf 1987.
No Finnish athlete has ever won a 30km freestyle race. The only Finnish woman with a podium finish in this event is Marjo Matikainen, finishing second in the event’s first ever appearance at the World Cup in Falun in 1987 and winning the bronze medal at the first WSC 30km in Lahti 1989.
Kerttu Niskanen finished fourth in this event at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. She is the only finish woman to finish in the top 10 in this event in the last six years.
Krista Parmakoski finished 11th in this event at the WSC in Oslo 2011, her best result at the 30km freestyle.
