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Kalla wins 1st gold at Pyeongchang

February 10, 2018
Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla (C), Norway’s Marit Bjoergen (L) and Finland’s Krista Parmakoski celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony at the end of the women’s cross-country skiathlon event at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games Saturday. — AFP
Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla (C), Norway’s Marit Bjoergen (L) and Finland’s Krista Parmakoski celebrate on the podium during the medal ceremony at the end of the women’s cross-country skiathlon event at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games Saturday. — AFP

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Charlotte Kalla won the gold and Marit Bjoergen made Olympic history.

In the first medal event of the Pyeongchang Games, Kalla won the women’s 15-kilometer skiathlon by more than seven seconds on Saturday.

“It feels very good to be ahead of Marit,” the Swede said. “She’s a fantastic skier.”

Despite her silver-medal finish in the cross-country skiing event, Bjoergen made the headlines by becoming the most decorated female Winter Olympian ever. The Norwegian won her 11th career medal to break a tie with Raisa Smetanina of Russia and Stefania Belmondo of Italy.

Other medals due to be awarded Saturday include events in women’s biathlon, men’s ski jumping, women’s 3,000-meter speedskating and men’s 1,500-meter short-track speedskating.

The 37-year-old Bjoergen raised her arms as she crossed the finish, knowing she reached the milestone. Norway also tied Russia for the most medals of all time in women’s cross-country skiing with 37.

“I have been very good for many years,” Bjoergen said, “but I’m also getting older and the younger girls are getting better.”

Bjoergen, who will participate in the women’s sprint Tuesday, said this will be her final Olympics but isn’t sure how many other races she’ll participate in in Pyeongchang.

“For sure, it’s my last Olympics,” Bjoergen said, “but for me, I have to focus on doing good races.”

It was the sixth career Olympic medal — third gold — for Kalla, who broke from the pack in the last 2 kilometers.

Krista Parmakoski of Finland was third.

Jessica Diggins placed fifth, missing a chance to become the first American woman to earn a medal in cross-country skiing. Diggins was third in the World Cup standings coming into the race.

Sara Hjalmarsson scored 1:53 into the third period and Sweden held off Japan 2-1 to open the preliminary round for women’s hockey.

It was only Japan’s third appearance in the Olympics for women’s hockey, and they had to start off pool play against a country that took home silver in 2006 and bronze in 2002.

Switzerland and South Korea were also scheduled to play Saturday.

Team leaders have been told the weather forecast is “partly cloudy, but the wind will be strong.” Race-time temperatures will be below freezing on the Jeongseon hill.

Short-track speedskating is wildly popular in South Korea and the Olympic host country had reason to celebrate on the first night of racing.

Lim Hyo-jun won the crash-filled men’s 1,500-meter final, giving South Korea its first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Games on Saturday. He raised his arms in triumph and let out a yell as the capacity crowd roared its approval.

Lim surged past Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands and finished about two blade lengths ahead in an Olympic-record of 2 minutes, 10.485 seconds.

Knegt earned silver while bronze went to Semen Elistratov, who became the first Russian medalist of the Games.

Russia was banned from the Olympics for a massive doping scheme four years ago in Sochi, but Elistratov is among 168 competitors allowed in as “Olympic Athletes from Russia.”

Defending Olympic champion Charles Hamelin of Canada was penalized for impeding.

Lim beat out eight rivals in the final, which had three extra skaters after some were advanced because of penalties in the semifinals. Knegt patted Lim on his helmet after the two crossed the finish line.

US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife watched the competition at Gangneung Ice Arena with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife, although they left before Lim’s victory.

Lim wasn’t even the strongest South Korean skater in the final. Hwang Dae-heon led the World Cup rankings after having won most of his 1,500 races this season, but he crashed. The other South Korean, Seo Yira, was relegated to the B final.

Elistratov is on a much diminished Russian short-track team, after several skaters were refused invitations by the International Olympic Committee, which said it couldn’t be confident they weren’t involved in doping.

The IOC invited only three Russian men’s skaters, meaning Elistratov can’t compete in the 5,000-meter relay. He was on the four-man team that won that event at home four years ago in Sochi.

Elistratov has said he sought advice from his wife, parents and coach before deciding to accept the IOC’s invitation to go to Pyeongchang. He was cleared of a doping offense in 2016 after he tested positive for the banned substance meldonium.

Elistratov was forced to miss that year’s world championships before his suspension was lifted when the World Anti-Doping Agency issued an amnesty for athletes with low concentrations of the Latvian-made heart drug. — AP


February 10, 2018
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