Sweden's Charlotte Kalla held off Norwegian cross-country legend Marit Bjoergen to win the women's skiathlon and claim the first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Olympic Games.

Kalla broke free from the pack at around the 11-kilometer mark of the 15-km race, stretching her lead to approximately 10 seconds at one point, and held off a late charge by silver medalist Bjoergen and bronze winner Krista Parmakoski of Finland.

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Kalla clocked 40 minutes, 44.9 seconds, beating Bjoergen by 7.8 seconds.

The gold is Kalla's third of her Olympic career after she won the 10-km freestyle in Vancouver in 2010 and another as part of the Swedish 4x5-km relay team in Sochi four years later. The win confirms her place as Sweden's most successful female cross-country skier at the Olympics.

Bjoergen was chasing her third straight skiathlon gold medal but had to settle for a record 11th total medal, the most of any female winter Olympic athlete.

Japan's lone competitor, four-time Olympian Masako Ishida, crossed the line at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre in 14th, four places back from her finish in Sochi.