charlotte kalla

Full speed ahead – three words that succinctly define Charlotte Kalla’s career and her attitude to cross-country skiing. Kalla, the 20-year-old Swede who can boast three gold and two silver medals from the junior world championships, is determined to step up and become a force to reckon with at the women’s cross-country skiing circuit this winter. Her main objective is to ski as fast as possible. All the time.

CKYou have won junior world-championship medals in both sprint and the traditional distances. Will you continue to ski both categories or will you focus on just one of them?
I will ski all categories and disciplines – sprint and the traditional distances as well as classic and freestyle. It is usually the men who focus on either sprint or the traditional distances. Most women manage to ski both short and long distances.

What’s your training schedule like?
I do double workouts five to six days per week. During summertime I mix quantity with quality and focus on running, roller skiing and gym training. During the winter I mainly focus on skiing and adjust my schedule to the World Cup calendar. This year I plan to train 720 hours, which is an increase of 6 percent compared to last year when I trained 678 hours.

What are your goals for this and future seasons?
This year should be at least as good as last year, hopefully a bit better. Since there is no championship this winter I will focus on the World Cup. In order to learn how to prepare optimally for future championship seasons, I will try to be in top form in February this season. As for the World Championships in 2009 and the Olympics in 2010, I hope I will keep on progressing at the current speed. Then I will be really fast.

What do you need to become the world’s best cross-country skier?
A couple of more years with really hard training.

What are your strengths/weaknesses?
My psyche is my greatest strength. I am extremely focused, which is necessary if you want to be at your best when it really matters. My weakness, I guess, is that I find it difficult to slow down and relax.

Do you feel a higher level of pressure to perform this season?
Not from the people around me but certainly from myself. I have always been the one who has demanded the most from me. This winter is my first season on the women’s tour, which is an advantage compared to last season when I was the oldest skier at the junior races and was forced by myself to win. This year is different and my main objective is to become a better skier.

You train and race in CRAFT garments. What can you say about them?
They are the best cross-country skiing garments on the market and I wear them almost all hours of the day. The Pro Cool t-shirt with mesh is really comfortable to wear during summer training. The Storm Tights is another favorite garment; it has a nice stretch on the back of the legs.

On what distance will you win a medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver?
10k freestyle.