PyeongChang 2018: Women’s Cross Country 10km Freestyle Medal Ceremony

Raghnild Haga of Norway acknowledges the crowd at the PyeongChang Olympic Plaza after receiving her gold medal on Feb. 15, 2018. Haga won the women’s cross country skiing 10km freestyle event by more than 20 seconds over her closest rival, Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

(left to right) Silver medalist Charlotte Kalla of Sweden; gold medalist Ragnhild Haga of Norway; and Krista Pärmäkoski (Finland) and Marit Bjørgen (Norway) who tied for the bronze. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

In winning her first Olympic gold medal – she added a second two days later at the 4 × 5 kilometre relay – Ragnhild Haga (second from left), who had just one individual World Cup victory prior to the event, defeated several more heralded skiers. Charlotte Kalla (left), the Vancouver 2010 champion in this event, has – following the conclusion of the PyeongChang 2018 Games – won eight Olympic medals, putting her in second place all time among Swedish Winter Games athletes. The 37-year-old Marit Bjørgen (second from right) is now the winningest Winter Olympian in history with 15 medals, plus an astonishing 113 World Cup victories. After tying Bjørgen for the bronze, Krista Pärmäkoski finished her 2018 Olympic experience with three medals – and four overall (she won a silver in Sochi). (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Competing in her first Winter Olympics, Ragnhild Haga celebrated her 27th birthday just three days before her victory in the cross country 10km freestyle event. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Most medal ceremonies were held away from competition venues every evening at the outdoor PyeongChang Olympic Plaza. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)