Charlotte Kalla became one of Sweden’s biggest sports stars when she won the Tour de Ski.
And in the background, a lot depended on Gunde Svan.
– I had not experienced it before, Kalla said.
Sweden had been thirsty for success on the women’s side in cross-country skiing for a long time, but in 2008 the wait was over. Charlotte Kalla had long been a hyped super talent, but few expected her to make an impact as early as she actually did. And once she did, nothing was the same afterwards.
Gunde’s unknown role
It was a sensation when the star won the Tour de Ski, and after that Kalla was immediately one of Sweden’s most popular and talked about athletes. And the rest is, as they say, history. Kalla became one of our most successful winter athletes ever, with incredible achievements from both the WC and the Olympics. But it was during the Tour de Ski that it all started, and much of the change for the national team and for Kalla himself was due to Gunde Svan.
Gunde Svan is not only one of our biggest icons ever. During the 00s, he was national team manager and according to Kalla himself, much of the success was thanks to him.
– Gunde was very driven and had a lot of ideas, says Charlotte Kalla. I experienced that he set frameworks and game rules in a way I had not experienced before, she has told DN.
READ MORE: Here, Ingemar Stenmark breaks the all-time record for saying as little as possible – in the most beautiful victory interview
Nice tribute
As a skier, Gunde Svan was known for his accuracy and for planning everything down to the smallest detail. It is something he took with him as a leader as well.
– There was an awareness of not leaving anything to chance, he was very thorough, says Kalla.
Gunde Svan believes that Charlotte Kalla’s win is necessary and important for Swedish cross-country skiing. And you couldn’t ask for a better person to succeed.
– The victory in the tour was a fantastic success for Charlotte. And the ski association needed a new front man who could be sold. The radiance Charlotte can spread, say the sponsor who says no to such a profile, said Gunde Svan.
READ MORE: Gunde Svan’s gesture to Petter Northug in crisis says everything about the Swedish skiing hero: “A fantastic person”