OWG PyeongChang 2018 - Ladies 10 km free preview
Aug 31, 2018·Cross-Country
PYEONGCHANG - Charlotte KALLA (SWE) can join three other athletes on a record four Olympic Winter Games gold medals for a Swedish athlete when the 10km freestyle is held on Thursday 15 February at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre.
Gunde SVAN (SWE), Sixten JERNBERG (SWE) and Thomas WASSBERG (SWE) have all claimed a record four gold medals among Swedish athletes, all in cross-country skiing
Only JERNBERG (nine) has claimed more total medals at the Olympic Winter Games among Swedish athletes than KALLA (six).
KALLA won the ladies' skiathlon on Saturday 10 February and could equal the Swedish record of winning two gold medals at a single Olympic Winter Games in individual events, held by Toini GUSTAFSSON (Grenoble 1968, cross-country skiing), Ingemar STENMARK (Lake Placid 1980, alpine skiing) and Tomas GUSTAFSON (Calgary 1988, speed skating).
KALLA finished in second place in the 10km classic in 2014, after she won gold in the 10km free at Vancouver 2010. She could become the first athlete to claim an Olympic medal in this event (free and classic) in three consecutive editions.
KALLA could also become the first athlete to claim multiple Olympic gold medals in the 10km free/classic.
KALLA and Marit BJOERGEN (NOR), who took bronze in this event in 2010 and silver in the 10km classic at Torino 2006, could both equal Raisa SMETANINA (URS) on a record three Olympic medals in the 10km free/classic.
KALLA (ladies' skiathlon) and Stina NILSSON (SWE, ladies' sprint classic) won the previous two cross-country ladies' events at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
The record number of gold medals Sweden has won in cross-country skiing at one Olympic Winter Games is three, in 1948, 1984, 2006 and 2010.
BJOERGEN is hoping to become the first woman to collect a total of seven Olympic gold medals in any sport.
BJOERGEN shares the record of six Olympic titles with cross-country skier Lyubov YEGOROVA (EUN/RUS) and speed skater Lidia SKOBLIKOVA (URS). At these games Ireen WUST (NED) has won her sixth gold medal in the ladies' 1000m in speed skating on Wednesday 14 February.
Only biathlete Ole Einar BJOERNDALEN (NOR, eight) and cross-country skier Bjoern DAEHLIE (NOR, eight) have won more gold medals at the Olympic Winter Games.
BJOERGEN (11) could equal DAEHLIE (12) in second place behind only BJOERNDALEN (13) for most Olympic Winter Games medals.
BJOERGEN will be 37 years and 331 days old on the day of this event and could become the second oldest medallist in the 10km free/classic at the Olympic Winter Games after Hilde PEDERSEN (NOR), who was 41 years and 100 days old when she took bronze in the 10km classic at Torino 2006.
BJOERGEN, Ingvild Flugstad OESTBERG (NOR) and Heidi WENG (NOR) could all become the second Olympic champion from Norway in the 10km free/classic, after Bente SKARI at Salt Lake City 2002 (10km classic).
BJOERGEN could become the third current world champion in the 10km free/classic to claim the Olympic title in this event after SKARI in 2002 and Lyubov BARANOVA (URS) at Cortina 1956.
Norway has claimed at least one medal in the 10km free/classic in all four editions since its return to the Olympic programme in 2002 and can equal the record of winning a medal in five editions in a row set by Finland between 1972 and 1988.
Krista PARMAKOSKI (FIN) is hoping to become the ninth Olympic medallist from Finland in the 10km free/classic and the first since 1988, when Marjo MATIKAINEN (FIN) won bronze in the 10km classic.
Only the Soviet Union (9) has more different Olympic medallists in the 10km free/classic than Finland (8).
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