![Charlotte Kalla racing to third in the Lahti World Cup 10 k freestyle in Finland last March. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/03/kalla080315al114.jpg")
Charlotte Kalla. Ida Ingemarsdotter. Those two names in first and second in Sweden’s first International Ski Federation (FIS) race of the season — the women’s 5-kilometer classic in Bruksvallarna — were more or less expected.
But Sofia Henriksson in third? The 21-year-old Swede hadn’t raced in nearly a year, coming off a hand injury and eating disorder. Leading up to U23 World Championships last season, she had been told she was “too thin and not allowed to go,” she wrote on her blog. “It seemed at first that everything collapsed.”
Yet on Friday, she finished 29.8 seconds behind 2015 world champion Kalla, the winner in 12:18.6. Another Swedish-national team member, Ingemarsdotter was 25.6 seconds back in second and 4.2 seconds ahead of Henriksson in third.
While Ingemarsdotter held off Henriksson for the lead late in the race, Kalla ultimately topped them both, leading at every checkpoint. By 1.4 k, Kalla was already 12.5 seconds faster than Ingemarsdotter. At 3 k, she was nearly 25 seconds up on Ingemarsdotter in second. Meanwhile, their teammate Hanna Falk sat in third, but Henriksson edged Falk in the second half of the race. Henriksson finished 1.9 seconds ahead of Falk — who placed fourth — for her first podium since placing second in the Bruksvallarna 5 k classic last year.
![Sofia Henriksson sheds tears at the finish of last year's Tjejvasan, an annual all-female event in Sweden, which she won. (Photo: Hälsningar Adam)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/11/10815248_10153029956480921_533415590_o.jpg")
After the race, Henriksson wrote a blog with the English title: “Comeback”.
“There are many emotions that move inside me right now,” she began, according to a translation. “Above all, I feel joy and thanks largely to be back [racing]. Today’s race was my first since the middle of January. The 10 months outside racing have been a journey for me with both ups and downs and many emotional challenges.”
Her main focus had been to feel good on skis. Despite a tremendous amount of nerves in her first international start since December at the Davos World Cup last year, she felt she succeeded at that.
“I also got frequent updates on how I was doing in relation to the other skiers, but then many of the really [fast] girls started behind me, it was initially difficult to assess the splits,” Henriksson explained.
![Sofia Henriksson (SWE), racing to ninth in the Davos World Cup 10 k classic in Switzerland in December 2014.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/12/sofia-henriksson.jpg")
She never imagined placing in the top three.
“It was only a short while after the finish I could rejoice over my third place, a position I before could only dream about,” she added.
Most importantly, this result gave her hope for this season. “I’ve found it’s important to maintain good balance and also keep the focus on training,” she wrote.
As for Kalla, Swedish women’s coach Mattias Persson told Aftonbladet she is “better trained than ever.”
Kalla, 28, led a Swedish sweep of the top 15. Sixty-four women finished the 5 k, representing either Sweden, Norway, Slovenia, Croatia, or Great Britain.
Alex Kochon
Alex Kochon (alexkochon@gmail.com) is a former FasterSkier editor and roving reporter who never really lost touch with the nordic scene. A freelance writer, editor, and outdoor-loving mom of two, she lives in northeastern New York and enjoys adventuring in the Adirondacks. She shares her passion for sports and recreation as the co-founder of "Ride On! Mountain Bike Trail Guide" and a sales and content contributor at Curated.com. When she's not skiing or chasing her kids around, Alex assists authors as a production and marketing coordinator for iPub Global Connection.
