Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo achieves a historic sweep of the men’s cross-country skiing events at the Winter Olympics, clinching his sixth gold medal in the 50km mass start race. This victory sets a new record for the most golds won by a single athlete in one Winter Games, surpassing the five golds earned by American speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
Race Highlights and Norwegian Dominance
The three Norwegians seize control early, building a substantial lead over their competitors. In the final lap, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Klaebo surge uphill, dropping Emil Iversen temporarily. Klaebo holds second position before unleashing his signature uphill sprint on the last hill, pulling away from Nyenget to claim gold. Nyenget earns silver, while Iversen secures bronze, completing a Norwegian podium sweep.
Nyenget remarks on Klaebo’s prowess: “I’m starting to believe maybe he is a machine.” He adds, “It’s close to impossible to beat him in the finish.”
Team GB’s Andrew Musgrave finishes sixth, more than four minutes behind the leaders, trailing France’s Theo Schely in fourth and Russia’s Savelii Korostelev, competing as a neutral athlete, in fifth.
Klaebo’s Emotional Triumph and Records
Klaebo crosses the line overwhelmed with emotion, pointing to the sky before collapsing in exhaustion. He states, “It’s unbelievable. It still feels really good to race, and I’m always looking forward to going out there and fighting for the medal.” This marks a repeat of his six-event sweep at last year’s world championships in Trondheim, Norway.
The win boosts Klaebo’s career Olympic gold total to 11 across three Games, eclipsing the previous record of eight set just last week. Only American swimmer Michael Phelps, with 23 golds, holds more Olympic golds overall. Note that Heiden’s five remain the benchmark for individual events, as two of Klaebo’s come from team competitions.
Norway’s Olympic Haul
Norway reaches a record 18 gold medals in these Games, extending their lead in the overall medal tally to 40. Biathlete Johannes Dale-Skjevdal’s victory in the 15km mass start contributes to this national milestone, the highest gold count for any country at a single Winter Olympics.
