Kalla won the women’s skiathlon cross country race ahead of Norway’s Marit Bjoergen, preventing her from collecting an unprecedented third straight gold medal in the event. The mood of reconciliation strengthened Saturday with North Korea’s Kim inviting South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Pyeongchang for a summit at the earliest opportunity. The first gold medal of the 2018 Olympics was expected to go to Bjoergen, world champion in the event, who claimed gold in Vancouver in 2010 and again in Sochi four years later. Gold medals will also be decided Saturday in speed skating, short-track speed skating, ski jumping and biathlon. Short-track speed skating makes its Pyeongchang debut with South Korea’s best hope for a haul of gold medals, Choi Min-jeong, starting her campaign with the 500m qualifiers.

Source: Egypt Independent February 10, 2018 09:00 UTC