Olympics Cross-Country Women’s 10km Free medal results, highlights
By Zach Bigalke
A new Olympic champion emerged as Ragnhild Haga fended off Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla and Norwegian legend Marit Bjørgen for gold in the 10km free.
Two of the biggest names in women’s cross-country skiing were right in the mix for the gold medal at the end of the 10km free at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Charlotte Kalla from Sweden and Marit Bjørgen of Norway have been battling in high-level competition for years.
This time, however, Kalla and Bjørgen were left to battle for silver in Pyeongchang. Instead of a high-stakes duel between the two, Ragnhild Haga claimed the new cross-country event. The 10km free was not held at the 2014 Winter Olympics, as the Games alternate between classic and freestyle formats for this distance.
Eight years ago, Kalla took gold in the event. Bjørgen was the bronze medalist in Vancouver in the 10km free. They would both return to the podium, but Haga proved too strong to pass. By the end, the younger Norwegian had more than 20 seconds’ advantage over her veteran challengers.
MEDAL RESULT | Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 10km Free
Ragnhild Haga
Charlotte Kalla
Marit Bjoergen
Krista Parmakoski
Kalla led the race over the first five kilometers. Then Haga found another gear, passing her Swedish counterpart and steadily building her advantage. Kalla would hang on for second place by 10 seconds ahead of Bjørgen.
But the Norwegian veteran would not be alone on the last step of the podium. Battling with Finland’s Krista Parmakoski, Bjørgen was caught at the line. The two women tied for the bronze, as Parmakoski pulled back a deficit of several seconds over the last kilometer. The impressive performance by the Finnish skier denied Bjørgen the satisfaction of standing alone with the bronze.
Even still, it was the 12th career Olympic medal for Bjørgen on the course at Alpensia. Kalla walked away with her seventh career medal in the Winter Olympics. Parmakoski claimed her third career medal, while for Haga the gold was her first time ever on an Olympic podium.
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