Sweden’s cross-country skier Charlotte Kalla has defeated defending champion Marit Bjoergen of Norway to claim the first gold medal of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
 
Kalla won the 15-kilometer skiathlon final held at the Alpensia Cross-Country Center in PyeongChang on Saturday afternoon with the time of 40 minutes 44-point-nine seconds.
 
Bjoergen, who won the same event at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the 2014 Sochi Games, came in next seven-point-eight seconds later, while Finland’s Krista Parmakoski clinched a bronze medal at 40 minutes 55 seconds.
 
South Korea’s Lee Chae-won finished 57th at 46 minutes 44-point-five seconds,while Japan’s Masako Ishida, finishing 14th, clocked the fastest time as an Asian at the event at 42 minutes four-point-one seconds.
 
A total of 102 gold medals are up for grabs at the PyeongChang Games, including 12 in cross-country skiing.