Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla wins first Olympic gold medal as Dutch sweep speed skating

Experience what it’s like to fly off a ski jump at about 60 mph. Olympic medalist Johnny Spillane breaks down one of the Winter Games’ most spectacular events: ski jumping.

And the winner of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics’ first gold medal is … Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla.

The 30-year-old Kalla raised her arms in triumph as she crossed the line in a time of 40 minutes, 44.9 seconds to win the 15-kilometer cross-country skiing.

Norway’s Marit Bj?rgen took silver, 7.8 seconds back, to become the most decorated female winter Olympian of all time while Finland’s Krista Parmakoski clinched bronze, 10.1 seconds behind the winner.

Nicknamed “The Iron Lady,” the 37-year-old Bj?rgen won her eleventh Olympic medal, overtaking fellow cross-country skier Raisa Smetanina, who won 10 medals competing for the Soviet Union and the Unified Team between 1976 and 1992.

READ: Olympic Games preach a ‘Games of peace’

READ: From one-room home in Ghana to Winter Olympics

The 15km race, also known as the skiathlon, is split into two parts; it starts with 7.5km using the classical technique followed by freestyle on the second leg.

In one of the most physically testing events in the Olympics, Kalla broke away from the pack after about 34 minutes. Sixty seconds later, she had grabbed a 5.5-second lead over Bj?rgen and never looked in danger of being caught.

Sweden's Charlotte Kalla has now won three golds at the Winter Olympics.

Norway's Marit Bj?rge (left) won silver and Krista Parmakoski of Finland took bronze.

READ: Winter Olympics sport-by-sport guide

READ: Tonga’s famous flag bearer achieves ‘impossible dream’

The 30-year-old Kalla also won a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Games.

Phoebe Staenz of Switzerland scores a goal against Shin So-jung of Korea in the second period of play during the women's ice hockey preliminary round.

Sweden's Charlotte Kalla, center, celebrates after winning the first gold medal of the 2018 Winter Olympics. She finished first in the 15-kilometer cross-country ski event. Norway's Marit Bj?rgen, left, won the silver to become the most decorated woman in the history of the Winter Games. Finland's Krista Parmakoski took the bronze.

Ireen Wust, of the Netherlands, with her fingernails painted in the colors of the Dutch flag, competes during the women's 3,000-meter speedskating race.

The United States' Jessica Diggins collapses alongside her competitors after competing in cross-country skiing.

Germany's Laura Dahlmeier prepares for competition in the women's biathlon 7.5-kilometer sprint.

The South Korea women's 3,000-meter relay team holds hands before going on to win its short track speedskating heat.

Competitors start the cross-country women's skiathlon at the Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing Centre.

Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands crashes in her 500-meter heat in short track speedskating.

Danielle Scott of Australia practices during freestyle skiing aerials.

North Korean fans cheer as they watch a short track speedskating race. Choe Un-song was competing in the 1,500 meters. He is one of 22 North Koreans who will be taking part in the Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

Dominik Fischnaller of Italy slides during the men's singles luge.

Sweden's Charlotte Kalla celebrates after winning the first gold medal of the Games.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in greets Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during a historic meeting between North and South Korean officials at the presidential palace in Seoul. The South Korean leader received an invitation from Kim's sister to travel to North Korea.

Mons Roisland of Norway competes in the slopestyle qualification.

Canada's John Morris competes in the mixed curling round robin against Switzerland.

A fan keeps warm during a weather delay before the men's slopestyle qualification.

Niklas?Mattsson of Sweden crashes during the slopestyle qualification.

Norway's Magnus Nedregotten slides the stone during the mixed curling round robin.

South Korean fans cheer their team during a mixed curling match against Olympic Athletes from Russia.

Olympic Athlete from Russia Anastasia Bryzgalova makes a call to her teammate Aleksandr Krushelnitckii during a mixed curling match against South Korea's Jang Hyeji and Lee Kijeong.

Winter Olympics: Saturday, February 10

Prev Next

Dutch sweep

The Netherlands claimed four medals in just five minutes, with three Dutch women sweeping the 3,000m podium in the speed skating and Sjinkie Knegt taking silver in the short-track men’s 1500m.

The Dutch Olympic team had a record-breaking Olympics four years ago, when it won 24 medals in Sochi, including 23 in long-track speed skating. The Dutch team is aiming for 15 medals in Pyeongchang.

Holland’s Carlijn Achtereekte won in a time of 3 minutes, 59.21 seconds, just 0.08 of a second ahead of pre-race favorite and defending champion Ireen Wust, to claim her first Olympic title. Antoinette de Jong took bronze, at 0.81 second behind the winner.

A few minutes later, over in the short-track arena, South Korea’s Lim Hyo-jun won the first gold medal for the host nation, beating world record holder Knegt in a new Olympic record as he broke away from the field halfway through the race.

The Olympic athletes of Russia also took their first medal as Semen Elistratov finished in third place.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier, 24, won her first gold medal in biathlon, taking the women’s 7.5km sprint, ahead of Norway’s Marte Olsbu in second place and Veronika Vitkova from the Czech Republic in third.