Facts: Charlotte Kalla
Born: 22 July 1987 in Tärendö (age 35).
Club: Piteå Elit SK.
Main achievements: 3 Olympic golds (10 km freestyle 2010, relay 2014, skiathlon 2018), 6 Olympic silvers, 3 WC golds (sprint relay 2011, 10 km freestyle 2015, relay 2019), 6 WC silvers and 4 WC bronze, 12 individual victories and a total of over 50 podiums in the World Cup. Awarded the Jerring Prize in 2008 and the Bragdguldet (together with the relay team) in 2014.
Charlotte Kalla will follow this weekend’s World Cup competitions in Finnish Ruka together with her siblings, with families, who are coming to Sundsvall to visit.
– I hope we will settle down on the TV sofa, otherwise I will have to watch the races via mobile phone, she tells TT.
After last season, 35-year-old Kalla announced that his career was over.
— I thought it would feel weirder. It is different to sit on the TV couch by choice. Not due to injury or illness. In the past, it has not always been associated with positive decisions and reasons.
She says that it was exciting to follow the Swedish premiere in Bruksvallarna last weekend, but is now especially looking forward to the “real” premiere.
— You know how much more can be picked up when it’s the World Cup.
“Talented Guys”
Kalla highlights a Swedish outsider to keep an eye on:
— It will be exciting to follow Edvin Anger. His results and performances in Bruksvallarna (third and fourth in the distance races) were exciting, I think.
Charlotte Kalla continues:
— There are many talented young guys in Sweden. Although we feel safe with the regrowth on the women’s side, it will be exciting to see what those behind Calle (Halfvarsson) and “Wille” (Poromaa) can achieve.
USA and Germany
It will be a different season on the women’s side when Therese Johaug has retired and the generational shift in the Norwegian women’s team is especially clear. At the same time, the Russians are not involved. This should speak for the Swedish team dominating the women’s cup. But Charlotte Kalla sees several challengers to the Swedes:
— They are not only Swedish women at the top, although I know that both Frida (Karlsson) and Ebba (Andersson) are good at distance and Maja (Dahlqvist), Jonna (Sundling) and the rest of the gang will assert themselves in sprints.
— It will be interesting to follow (Jessie) Diggins and the USA team and what Germany has done under Per Nilsson, who is Frida’s (Karlsson) coach. There it will be very interesting to see what Henning (Katharina) and Carla (Victoria Carl) and the rest of the gang can do.
Charlotte Kalla (left) and Norwegian star Therese Johaug met many times on the ski track. Now both have quit. Stock image. “The Mad War”
TT: Does it, sportingly speaking, feel strange without Russians in the World Cup?
— They have been involved and made an impression. Just look at last season at the Olympics and the World Cup. They have many placements high up. It’s super sad that the sport is dragged along. But we have to mark with democracy that we distance ourselves from the insane war, by not letting those riders come in and compete.
Charlotte Kalla has had a busy life since she ended her skiing career. She remains in skiing. Among other things, by being a support for the Swedish junior national team. In addition, she has several sponsorship assignments:
— I have quite a few balls in the air right now. It’s fun with different collaborations.