PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Charlotte Kalla and Therese Johaug are good friends today.
But the relationship has not always been perfect.
“Bitter but true”, writes Kalla in the autobiography “Shame on those who give”.
For several years was Swedish Charlotte Kalla36, and Norwegian Therese Johaug, 35, major competitors in the cross-country ski trails. They were both at the top of the world for a long time and were often pitted against each other, before they both retired from professional skiing in 2022.
Call & Johaug
Outside of the competitions – while active – the former ski stars got to know each other, and today they are good friends. It was evident not least a few weeks ago, when Kalla attended Johaug’s bachelor party, which the Norwegian showed off on social media. But Kalla has not always viewed Johaug in a positive way.
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In her autobiography “Shame on those who give”, the 36-year-old says that she didn’t just compare herself to Johaug during competitions and on the track. But also in physique and how they looked.
“The longer the season went on, the more I realized how difficult it was to defeat Therese Johaug. Especially with the body I had,” writes Kalla in the book according to Nettavisen.
Tough WC 2019
Comparing Johaug and Kalla in how they looked was a habit that the media also had during that time.
“Reading that I have no capacity compared to Therese makes me think that I weigh too much and that I have been beaten in advance. I have fallen into that cycle of mentally giving in to the pain and not doing my best. That I am mentally weak when it comes to stepping out of my comfort zone,” Kalla writes further.
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A championship that was extra tough for Kalla was the WC in Seefeld 2019. The sun was hot on the slopes, which made the snow heavy and the conditions tough, especially for a skater like Kalla, with her build.
“It felt hopeless. The conditions during the WC favored the riders who looked different than I did. Who looked lighter and had a different type of body to work with. What I had already thought in the summer was confirmed when I saw Therese Johaugs, Frida Karlsson and “The fly” Østberg’s bodies before the start and then how they made their way in the heavy, wet snow. Easy was right. Bitter but true. It became obvious during the sunny alpine days.”
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