Charlotte Kalla was born on July 22, 1987 in Tärendö, Sweden. She is an Olympic athlete specializing in cross country skiing. Kalla will represent Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kalla has a fair amount of experience for her age, having made forty five World Cup starts. In those forty five starts, she has three wins and ten podiums to her credit. She has been exceedingly good of late, racking up a pair of second place finishes in Beitostoelen, Norway and Davos, Switzerland. She followed that up with a decisive victory in the 10 km free at Canmore, Alberta, Canada right before the Olympic Games, on February 5th, 2010.http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sector=CC&competitorid=98286&type=result&category=WC&season=ALL&sort=&discipline=10k&position=&place=&Submit=Search

Kalla has been very successful at the Swedish National Championships, where she has won four events and finished second in two others the past two years. In the three national championships she has been a part of 2006, 2009 and 2010, she has yet to log a finish lower than thirteenth in twelve starts. She also has been successful as part of the relay teams representing her home country.http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sector=CC&competitorid=98286&type=result&category=NC&season=ALL&sort=&discipline=ALL&position=&place=&Submit=Search

She has made six World Championship starts, five individual and one relay event. Individually, her best finish is fifth in 2007 at Sapporo, Japan in the 10 km free. She was a member of the bronze winning 4 x 5 km relay team at the 2009 World Championships, held in Liberec, Czech Republic.http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sector=CC&competitorid=98286&type=result&category=WSC&season=ALL&sort=&discipline=ALL&Submit=Search

The event that really put Kalla on the map was the 2008 Tour de Ski, which is similar to cycling's Tour de France. It involves eight stages covering some 60 kilometers with different lengths and disciplines. Kalla placed first in three of the stages and then overtook the leader and defending champion Virpi Kuitinen of Finland, on the final hill to win the title. This put her first and foremost in the hearts of the ski crazed Swedish population.http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=2047/bio/index.html

Kalla entered the Olympics on a roll, and with not just high expectations from herself. The country of Sweden hadn't seen a gold medal in cross country skiing since Toini Gustafsson won the 5 km classical and 10 km classical at the 1968 Winter Olympics held in Grenoble, France.http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamesyear.htm?g=36

With the 2010 Winter Olympics Kalla's first foray into international competition on this grand a stage, one may have expected her to falter. This was simply not the case.

Kalla broke the forty two year drought for her home country with a decisive, 6.6 second victory in the 10 kilometer free race held on February 15, 2010.http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-cross-country-skiing/schedule-and-results/ladies-10-km-free_ccw010101rY.html It was Sweden's first medal of the Vancouver Games.http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstPhotos/index.php?photoid=43978