GALLIVARE, Sweden—Marcus Hellner and Charlotte Kalla of Sweden won their first World Cup cross-country ski titles on Saturday.
Hellner edged Pietro Piller Cottrer of Italy by 1.4 seconds in the 15-kilometer freestyle, while Kalla cruised past Marit Bjorgen of Norway by 24.4 seconds in the 10k freestyle.
Hellner earned his first World Cup title in 32:35.2.
“The fans were incredible and supported me so well throughout the race,” he said of the home crowd. “I heard that only seconds separated us. When I heard the fans roar, I understood that I had won the race. ”
Lukas Bauer, the defending World Cup overall champion from the Czech Republic, finished ninth, 29.7 seconds behind.
Kalla crossed in 24:07.8.
“It’s like a dream, to share this moment with so many familiar faces,” Kalla said.
Kris Freeman, the only American competing, finished 20th.
“I felt like I skied strong and technically very smooth, but I didn’t have that last five percent to put me up into the really good numbers,” he said.
U.S. coach Pete Vordenberg took the long view.
“He skied really well and things are looking good for (next week’s races) in Kuusamo (Finland) and beyond,” Vordenberg said.
