Swedish Charlotte Kalla wins first gold medal in Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics

Swedish Charlotte Kalla conquered today the first of the 102 gold medals that will be awarded in the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics, by winning the 15-kilometer skiathlon cross-country skiing event.

Norwegian Marit Bjöergen took the silver and Finnish Krista Parmakoski the bronze.

Kalla, 30, added her third Olympic title with a lead of 7.8 seconds over Bjöergen, who is seeking to become the most successful person in the history of the Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

Defeat in the skiathlon, a race that links 7.5 kilometers in classic style with 7.5 kilometers in freestyle, prevented her from achieving the seventh gold of her career, but she became the most decorated woman in the Winter Games with 11 medals, breaking the tie she had with Russian Raisa Smetanina and Italian Stefania Belmondo.

With a harvest of six golds, four silvers and one bronze, the 37-year-old Norwegian seeks to achieve absolute glory by surpassing her compatriots Ole Einar Björndalen (8-4-1) and Björn Daehlie (8-4-0).

Bjöergen seemed to have control of the situation in the first half of the race, where she was aiming for her third consecutive victory. But Kalla made the decisive move in the second half, in freestyle, attacking in the first of the three climbs of the circuit.

The Swedish skier then held on to her lead to win with a time of 40:44.9 minutes on a sunny afternoon in the Alpensia ski center, where she crossed the finish line raising her fist in the air and avenging her defeat against Bjöergen four years ago.

"It means a lot to me," she said. "I was quite nervous today. The Games are something I have focused on for a long, long time. I have felt good all season, but I knew that everyone arrives in shape for the Games," she added.

"I felt a lot of happiness, but also relief," she confessed after the victory. "I had told myself that if I felt strong, I would attack on the last lap and not wait until the end. I made my way and always focused on what was ahead. I never looked back. I just kept pushing," she said.

The Swedish skier crossed the finish line with a 7.8-second lead over Bjöergen, while Parmakoski needed another 2.3 seconds to complete the 15 kilometers and win the bronze.

Jessica Diggins finished in fifth place and came close to achieving the first Olympic medal in cross-country skiing for an American woman.

Kalla, who also has three silvers, added her third gold to the ones she won in the 10-kilometer race in 2010 and in the relay in 2014.