Marina Charlotte Kalla (Swedish pronunciation: [ɧaˈɭɔtː ˈkâlːa] ; born 22 July 1987) is a Swedish retired cross-country skier. A four-time Olympian, Kalla won three golds and nine medals overall at the Olympics between 2004 and 2022. She holds the joint record as Sweden's most decorated Olympic competitor and is the all-time leader among Swedish female athletes.[1] She is also a 13-time medalist at the World Championships, including a gold medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2015 10 km freestyle event in Falun. This made Kalla the first Swedish female cross-country skier to win individual golds in both the Olympics and World Championships. In 2008, Kalla won the Jerring Award.[2]

Charlotte Kalla
Charlotte Kalla in February 2019
Country Sweden
Full nameMarina Charlotte Kalla
Born (1987-07-22) 22 July 1987 (age 37)
Pajala, Sweden
Height1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Ski clubPiteå Elit
World Cup career
Seasons17 – (20062022)
Indiv. starts266
Indiv. podiums59
Indiv. wins12
Team starts30
Team podiums15
Team wins3
Overall titles0 – (4th in 2008, 2012)
Discipline titles0
Medal record
Women's cross-country skiing
Representing  Sweden
International nordic ski competitions
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 3 6 0
World Championships 3 6 4
Total 6 12 4
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Vancouver 10 km freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2014 Sochi 4 × 5 km relay
Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang 15 km skiathlon
Silver medal – second place 2010 Vancouver Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sochi 15 km skiathlon
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sochi 10 km classical
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang 10 km freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2018 Pyeongchang Team sprint
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Oslo Team sprint
Gold medal – first place 2015 Falun 10 km freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2019 Seefeld 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2011 Oslo 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2013 Val di Fiemme Team sprint
Silver medal – second place 2013 Val di Fiemme 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2015 Falun 4 × 5 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2017 Lahti 10 km classical
Silver medal – second place 2017 Lahti 4 × 5 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Liberec 4 × 5 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Falun 15 km skiathlon
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Falun 30 km classical
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Lahti 15 km skiathlon
Junior World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Kranj 10 km pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2007 Tarvisio 10 km pursuit
Gold medal – first place 2007 Tarvisio 5 km freestyle 
Silver medal – second place 2006 Kranj 4 × 3.33 km relay
Silver medal – second place 2007 Tarvisio Individual sprint
Silver medal – second place 2007 Tarvisio 4 × 3.33 km relay
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Kranj 5 km classical

She retired from competitive skiing after the Swedish Championships in March 2022.[3]

Winter Olympics

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2010 Winter Olympics

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Kalla won the gold medal in the women's 10 km individual for Sweden at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with a time of 24:58.4.[4][5] She also won a silver in the team sprint event with Anna Haag at those same games.[6]

2014 Winter Olympics

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Kalla won a silver medal in the skiathlon event on 8 February in Sochi,[7] and another silver in the classical race on 13 February. In the 4 × 5 km women's relay race, held on 15 February, she ran in the final leg and started third with a 25.7 sec lag behind the first place and a 19.9 lag behind the second place, but totally reduced the gap, and overtook her competitors in the final straight, giving Sweden the gold medal.[8]

2018 Winter Olympics

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Kalla took the first gold medal awarded at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang when she won the skiathlon,[9] breaking away from the leading group on the last lap of the course to take victory with a lead of 7.8 seconds over second-placed Marit Bjørgen. Her win made her the first Swedish woman to win three Winter Olympic golds, and tied her with canoer Agneta Andersson as the female Swede with most Olympic gold medals overall. It was also Kalla's sixth Olympic medal, equalling Anja Pärson's record for the most Winter Olympic medals among Swedish women.[10] She then went on to win silver in the 10 km freestyle individual start, the 4 × 5 km relay (together with Anna Haag, Ebba Andersson and Stina Nilsson) and the team sprint (with Stina Nilsson).[11]

2022 Winter Olympics

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Kalla competed in three events at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, her fourth appearance at the Games. Her highest placing was in the 15-km skiathlon, where she finished 19th as the defending champion. Kalla announced her retirement from international competition later that winter.

Other competitions

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On 6 January 2008, Kalla won the second edition of Tour de Ski in her debut in the event.[12]

On 17–18 April 2015, Kalla participated and placed second in Keb Classic, a ski mountaineering event in Kebnekaise, Sweden, with Emelie Forsberg and Josefina Wikberg.[13]

Personal life

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Kalla was born in Tärendö in Norrbotten, Sweden. She is the eldest of three daughters.[14]

In 2023, Kalla competed on the Swedish reality TV series Let's Dance, pairing with professional dancer Tobias Karlsson. Kalla became pregnant before the competition started, becoming the first dancer to participate while pregnant.[15][16] Her daughter was born 15 July 2023.[17]

Kalla is of Tornedalian Finnish descent.[18]

She published her autobiography in 2023: "Skam den som ger sig"[19][20] ("shame on the one who gives up"), in Swedish only. Written in the first person, the book summarises her sports career and describes her view.

Cross-country skiing results

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All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[21]

Olympic Games

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  • 9 medals – (3 gold, 6 silver)
 Year   Age   10 km 
 individual 
 15 km 
 skiathlon 
 30 km 
 mass start 
 Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
 Team 
 sprint 
2010 22 Gold 8 6 5 Silver
2014 26 Silver Silver 34 Gold
2018 30 Silver Gold 5 Silver Silver
2022 34 20 19 35

World Championships

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  • 13 medals – (3 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze)
 Year   Age   10 km 
 individual 
 15 km 
 skiathlon 
 30 km 
 mass start 
 Sprint   4 × 5 km 
 relay 
 Team 
 sprint 
2007 19 5 7 4
2009 21 8 18 6 Bronze
2011 23 11 4 4 8 Silver Gold
2013 25 7 6 11 11 Silver Silver
2015 27 Gold Bronze Bronze Silver
2017 29 Silver Bronze 7 Silver
2019 31 9 6 5 Gold
2021 33 6 5 DNF 6

World Cup

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Season standings

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 Season   Age  Discipline standings Ski Tour standings
Overall Distance Sprint Nordic
Opening
Tour de
Ski
Ski Tour
2020
World Cup
Final
Ski Tour
Canada
2006 18 78 NC 48
2007 19 37 28 39
2008 20 4 7 18   18
2009 21 12 12 17  
2010 22 8 4 52  
2011 23 5 6 12   5
2012 24 4 4 15 4 7  
2013 25 8 7 20 7  
2014 26 7 4 38   5
2015 27 7 4 21 5
2016 28 5 4 22 6 4 12
2017 29 9 5 69 11 8
2018 30 7 6 43   7
2019 31 10 7 35 4 10
2020 32 14 10 69 14 12 15
2021 33 53 42
2022 34 31 20 NC 16

Individual podiums

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  • 12 victories – (7 WC, 5 SWC)
  • 59 podiums – (35 WC, 24 SWC)
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place
1 2007–08 24 November 2007   Beitostølen, Norway 10 km Individual F World Cup 3rd
2 29 December 2007   Nové Město, Czech Republic 10 km Pursuit F  Stage World Cup  1st
3 1 January 2008 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 1st
4 4 January 2008   Asiago, Italy 1.2 km Sprint F Stage World Cup 1st
5 5 January 2008   Val di Fiemme, Italy 10 km Mass Start C Stage World Cup 2nd
6 28 December 2007
– 6 January 2008
   Tour de Ski Overall Standings World Cup 1st
7 16 February 2008   Liberec, Czech Republic 7.6 km Individual F World Cup 3rd
8 8 March 2008   Oslo, Norway 30 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
9 2008–09 22 November 2008   Gällivare, Sweden 10 km Individual F World Cup 1st
10 8 March 2009   Lahti, Finland 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
11 20 March 2009   Falun, Sweden 2.5 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd
12 20–22 March 2009   World Cup Final Overall Standings World Cup 3rd
13 2009–10 21 November 2009   Beitostølen, Norway 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
14 12 December 2009     Davos, Switzerland 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
15 5 February 2010   Canmore, Canada 10 km Individual F World Cup 1st
16 19 March 2010   Falun, Sweden 2.5 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd
17 21 March 2010 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 1st
18 19–21 March 2010   World Cup Final Overall Standings World Cup 3rd
19 2010–11 20 November 2010   Gällivare, Sweden 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
20 26–28 November 2010   Nordic Opening Overall Standings World Cup 3rd
21 31 December 2010   Oberhof, Germany 2.8 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd
22 3 January 2011   Oberstdorf, Germany 5 km 5 km Pursuit C/F Stage World Cup 2nd
23 20 February 2011   Drammen, Norway 1.2 km Sprint F World Cup 3rd
24 2011–12 19 November 2011   Sjusjøen, Norway 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
25 25 November 2011   Rukatunturi, Finland 1.2 km Sprint C Stage World Cup 2nd
26 26 November 2011 5 km Individual F Stage World Cup 3rd
27 7 January 2012   Val di Fiemme, Italy 10 km Mass Start C Stage World Cup 3rd
28 4 February 2012   Rybinsk, Russia 10 km Mass Start F World Cup 2nd
29 16 March 2012   Falun, Sweden 2.5 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd
30 18 March 2012 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 2nd
31 16–18 March 2012   World Cup Final Overall Standings World Cup 3rd
32 2012–13 29 December 2012   Oberhof, Germany 3 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd
33 3 January 2013   Cortina, Italy 15 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 2nd
34 22 March 2013   Falun, Sweden 2.5 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd
35 24 March 2013 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 3rd
36 22–24 March 2013   World Cup Final Overall Standings World Cup 3rd
37 2013–14 1 December 2013   Rukatunturi, Finland 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 1st
38 29 November 2013
– 1 December 2013
  Nordic Opening Overall Standings World Cup 2nd
39 7 December 2013   Lillehammer, Norway 10 km Individual C World Cup 2nd
40 14 December 2013     Davos, Switzerland 15 km Individual F World Cup 3rd
41 1 February 2014   Toblach, Italy 10 km Individual C World Cup 3rd
42 2 March 2014   Lahti, Finland 10 km Individual F World Cup 2nd
43 2014–15 30 November 2014   Rukatunturi, Finland 10 km Individual C World Cup 3rd
44 15 February 2015   Östersund, Sweden 10 km Individual F World Cup 1st
45 8 March 2015   Lahti, Finland 10 km Individual C World Cup 3rd
46 2015–16 28 November 2015   Rukatunturi, Finland 5 km Individual F Stage World Cup 2nd
47 5 December 2015   Lillehammer, Norway 7.5 km 7.5 km Skiathlon C/F World Cup 2nd
48 2016–17 7 January 2017   Val di Fiemme, Italy 10 km Mass Start C Stage World Cup 3rd
49 21 January 2017   Ulricehamn, Sweden 10 km Individual F World Cup 3rd
50 19 February 2017   Otepää, Estonia 10 km Individual C World Cup 2nd
51 2017–18 25 November 2017   Rukatunturi, Finland 10 km Individual C Stage World Cup 2nd
52 26 November 2017 10 km Pursuit F Stage World Cup 3rd
53 24–26 November 2017   Nordic Opening Overall Standings World Cup 1st
54 3 December 2017   Lillehammer, Norway 7.5 km 7.5 km Skiathlon C/F World Cup 1st
55 16 December 2017   Toblach, Italy 10 km Individual F World Cup 1st
56 21 January 2018   Planica, Slovenia 10 km Individual C World Cup 2nd
57 2018–19 25 November 2018   Rukatunturi, Finland 10 km Individual C World Cup 2nd
58 1 December 2018   Lillehammer, Norway 10 km Individual F Stage World Cup 3rd
59 8 December 2018   Beitostølen, Norway 15 km Individual F World Cup 2nd

Team podiums

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  • 3 victories – (2 RL, 1 TS)
  • 15 podiums – (14 RL, 1 TS)
No. Season Date Location Race Level Place Teammate(s)
1 2006–07 17 December 2006   La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F  World Cup  2nd L. Andersson / Lindborg / Norgren
2 4 February 2007     Davos, Switzerland 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st L. Andersson / Strömstedt / Norgren
3 25 March 2007   La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Dahlberg / Rydqvist / Norgren
4 2007–08 28 October 2007   Düsseldorf, Germany 6 × 0.8 km Team Sprint F World Cup 1st Norgren
5 2008–09 23 November 2008   Gällivare, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Hansson / Norgren / Haag
6 7 December 2008   La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd L. Andersson / Lindborg / Haag
7 2009–10 22 November 2009   Beitostølen, Norway 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 1st Olsson / Lindborg / Haag
8 2010–11 21 November 2010   Gällivare, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Norgren / Haag / Rydqvist
9 12 December 2010   La Clusaz, France 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Lindborg / Haag / Rydqvist
10 2012–13 25 November 2012   Gällivare, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Ingemarsdotter / Bleckur / Larsen
11 2016–17 22 January 2017   Ulricehamn, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd  Ingemarsdotter / Henriksson / Falk 
12 2018–19 27 January 2019   Ulricehamn, Sweden 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Settlin / E. Andersson / Sundling
13 2019–20 8 December 2019   Lillehammer, Norway 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Ribom / Rönnlund / Lundgren
14 1 March 2020   Lahti, Finland 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 3rd Karlsson / Öhrn / Dahlqvist
15 2020–21 24 January 2021   Lahti, Finland 4 × 5 km Relay C/F World Cup 2nd Ribom / Modig / E. Andersson

References

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  1. ^ Jonsson, Peter (15 February 2018). "Charlotte Kalla: Nu är Kalla bäst genom tiderna". SVT Sport (in Swedish).
  2. ^ "Sport: Charlotte Kalla fick Jerringpriset". SVT Sport (in Swedish). 2009-01-19. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  3. ^ Emil Eiman Roslund (22 March 2022). "Charlotte Kalla avslutar karriären" (in Swedish). SVT Sport. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  4. ^ Charlotte Kalla Swedens First Winter Olympics Gold Medal at Vancouver
  5. ^ "Sweden's Charlotte Kalla secures cross country crown". BBC Sport. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  6. ^ Olmos, Cecilia (22 February 2010). "German women's team wins gold in cross country". The Toronto Observer. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Kalla wins Sweden's first medal at Sochi 2014". Sveriges Radio. SR International – Radio Sweden. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Kalla brings the gold home for Sweden in ladies' relay". Fis-Ski. Archived from the original on 15 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Winter Olympics: Sweden's Charlotte Kalla wins first gold medal of Pyeongchang 2018". BBC Sport. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Charlotte Kalla wins 1st gold medal of PyeongChang 2018". International Ski Federation. 10 February 2018. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  11. ^ "Athlete Profile – Charlotte Kalla". PyeongChang 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Kalla vinnare i Tour de ski". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  13. ^ "Resultat 2015" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  14. ^ "Här får Kalla koll på kartan". Archived 2013-12-19 at the Wayback Machine Sundsvalls tidning, 16 juli 2011.
  15. ^ "Charlotte Kalla i "Let's dance": Långt utanför min comfort zone". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 17 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Charlotte Kalla om att tävla i Let's Dance som gravid - Metro Mode". metromode.se (in Swedish).
  17. ^ Lutz, Leandro (2023-07-19). "Charlotte Kalla becomes a mother". ProXCskiing. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  18. ^ "Charlotte Kalla om sitt ursprung: "Har jag rätt att göra det?"" [Charlotte Kalla about her origins: "Do I have the right to do it?"] (in Swedish). Expressen. 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  19. ^ Ej Utkommen Titel. Book Affair. 2023. ISBN 978-91-987646-3-5.
  20. ^ martenlang (2023-06-06). "Kalla om självbiografin: "Kommer vara brutalt ärlig"". Langd.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  21. ^ "KALLA Charlotte". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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