10 kilometres (Freestyle), Women

Having dominated the last decade in women’s cross-country skiing, the expert’s top choices were again Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla and Norway’s Marit Bjørgen, the most successful female skier ever. Other highly rated athletes included Tour de Ski winner, and World Cup leader, Heidi Weng and the runner-up in both competitions, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (both from Norway) and the American Jessie Diggins. With just one first place in the World Cup, a 10 km pursuit in Ruka, Finland, earlier this season under her belt, Ragnhild Haga was the unlikely winner in PyeongChang. The Sochi 10 km gold medalist Justyna Kowalczyk was competing in her fourth Olympcs but, at 35-years-of-age, was obviously past her prime and did not even compete in this event.

Haga, a former Junior and U23 World Champion, won the race with an impressive 20.3 seconds margin ahead of silver medalist Kalla, and 31.9 seconds ahead of third-placed Bjørgen. Clocking exactly the same time as Bjørgen, Krista Pärmäkoski from Finland joined her on the podium to as two bronze medals were awarded.

In a race contested under excellent conditions, with little wind, and bright sunshine, Marit Bjørgen crossed the finish line as the first of the favorites to set a mark. Then it looked like another triumph for skiathlon gold medalist, Charlotte Kalla but, at the 5 km mark, it became obvious that Haga, who started at a relatively modest pace, could actually outperform the two favorites. She took the lead between km 5 and 6, gradually increasing her lead. Pärmäkoski was in fifth or sixth place throughout the race, but a strong finish closed the gap to Bjørgen, equaling her time, and winning the second of her of three medals in PyeongChang. Diggins, still on third position at the last intermediate, lost five seconds to Bjørgen, and eight seconds to Pärmäkoski, to drop out of the medal positions. Nathalie von Siebenthal, from Switzerland, could repeat her remarkable sixth place from the skiathlon and Austrian Teresa Stadlober, who was to become a tragic figure in the 30 km, added another top ten finish.