Charlotte Kalla


Marina Charlotte Kalla is a Swedish Tornedalian retired cross-country skier. A four-time Olympian, Kalla won three golds and nine medals overall at the Olympics between 2004 and 2022. She holds the joint record as Sweden's most decorated Olympic competitor and is the all-time leader among Swedish female athletes. She is also a 13-time medalist at the World Championships, including a gold medal at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2015 2015 – Women's 10 kilometre freestyle|10 km freestyle event] in Falun. This made Kalla the first Swedish female cross-country skier to win individual golds in both the Olympics and World Championships. In 2008, Kalla won the Jerring Award for her Tour de Ski win.
She retired from competitive skiing after the Swedish Championships in March 2022.

Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

Kalla won the gold medal in the women's 10 km individual for Sweden at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with a time of 24:58.4. She also won a silver in the team sprint event with Anna Haag at those same games.

2014 Winter Olympics

Kalla won a silver medal in the skiathlon event on 8 February in Sochi, and another silver in the classical race on 13 February. In the 4 × 5 km women's relay race, held on 15 February, she ran in the final leg and started third with a 25.7 sec lag behind the first place and a 19.9 lag behind the second place, but totally reduced the gap, and overtook her competitors in the final straight, giving Sweden the gold medal.

2018 Winter Olympics

Kalla took the first gold medal awarded at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang when she won the skiathlon, breaking away from the leading group on the last lap of the course to take victory with a lead of 7.8 seconds over second-placed Marit Bjørgen. Her win made her the first Swedish woman to win three Winter Olympic golds, and tied her with canoer Agneta Andersson as the female Swede with most Olympic gold medals overall. It was also Kalla's sixth Olympic medal, equalling Anja Pärson's record for the most Winter Olympic medals among Swedish women. She then went on to win silver in the 10 km freestyle individual start, the 5 kilometre relay|4 × 5 km relay] and the team sprint.

2022 Winter Olympics

Kalla competed in three events at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, her fourth appearance at the Games. Her highest placing was in the 15-km skiathlon, where she finished 19th as the defending champion. Kalla announced her retirement from international competition later that winter.

Other competitions

On 6 January 2008, Kalla won the second edition of Tour de Ski in her debut in the event.
On 17–18 April 2015, Kalla participated and placed second in Keb Classic, a ski mountaineering event in Kebnekaise, Sweden, with Emelie Forsberg and Josefina Wikberg.

Personal life

Kalla was born in Tärendö in Norrbotten, Sweden. She is the eldest of three daughters.
In 2023, Kalla competed on the Swedish reality TV series Let's Dance, pairing with professional dancer Tobias Karlsson. Kalla became pregnant before the competition started, becoming the first dancer to participate while pregnant. Her daughter was born 15 July 2023. In August 2025, she gave birth to a son.
Kalla is of Tornedalian descent. Her grandfather, Väinö Martikkala, was of Finnish descent, and her maternal grandmother came from Finland.
She published her autobiography in 2023: "Skam den som ger sig", in Swedish only. Written in the first person, the book summarises her sports career and describes her view.

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Olympic Games

  • 9 medals –
Year Age 10 km
individual
15 km
skiathlon
30 km
mass start
Sprint 4 × 5 km
relay
Team
sprint
201022Gold865Silver
201426SilverSilver34Gold
201830SilverGold5SilverSilver
202234201935

World Championships

  • 13 medals –
Year Age 10 km
individual
15 km
skiathlon
30 km
mass start
Sprint 4 × 5 km
relay
Team
sprint
2007192007 – Women's 10 kilometre freestyle|5]74
2009218186Bronze
20112311448SilverGold
201325761111SilverSilver
201527GoldBronzeBronzeSilver
201729SilverBronze7Silver
201931965Gold
20213365DNF6

World Cup

Individual podiums

  • 12 victories –
  • 59 podiums –
No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlace
12007–0824 November 2007

Team podiums

  • 3 victories –
  • 15 podiums –
No.SeasonDateLocationRaceLevelPlaceTeammate
12006–0717 December 2006