‘King Klaebo’ climbs to summit of Winter Olympics, ties all-time gold medal record
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo tied the record for the most Winter Olympic gold medals when he took top time in the men’s cross-country skiing 10km free Friday in Italy.
With his eighth Olympic gold, he joins three other legendary Norwegian athletes. The win marked his third gold medal at Milan Cortina 2026 as he targets history to surpass the Winter Games gold medal record in his next three events.
“This is the first time I have won a 10k skating (freestyle technique) interval start (including the FIS Cross-Country World Cup or at a championship),” Klaebo said. “So, being able to do that here at the Olympics, it’s just amazing, and with the weather and the atmosphere, to kind of have my best day here at the Olympics, it’s special.”
The Norwegians were predicted to sweep the podium, but Mathis Desloges of France skied to silver. He finished the race 4.9 seconds behind Klaebo’s time of 20 minutes, 36 minutes. Bronze medalist Einar Hedegart of Norway was 14 seconds behind.
This event was Klaebo’s toughest, as he had never raced to the top of the podium in a men’s 10km free before. He won the bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Games when this race was contested in the classic technique.
At every checkpoint at the race, it was clear Klaebo was having the kind of race he needed. He started the race conservatively but picked up time at every split. At the midpoint of the race, he led the field by 18 seconds. In the end, he dusted the field on the “Klaebo Climb” and the final kilometer.
After collapsing in exhaustion, Klaebo waited and watched his competitors’ time come in. Desloges, who also won silver in skiathlon, held the top time for a bit but could not beat Klaebo’s speed at the end. It was Hedegart who was tracking Klaebo with the best time at midpoint, but he started out too quickly and maxed out before the end.
“I’ve never experienced this kind of dizziness. I was so dizzy the last two kilometers and I had nothing left in the tank, so it was just pain and suffering throughout the last two kilometers,” Hedegart said.
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