Norwegian cross-country skiing sensation Johannes Klaebo made Winter Olympics history Saturday, capturing his sixth gold medal at the Milano Cortina Games and setting a new record for most titles won in a single Winter Olympics competition.
The 29-year-old athlete, affectionately known as “King Klaebo” by his supporters, dominated the men’s 50-kilometer classic race in Tesero, Italy, surpassing American speed skater Eric Heiden’s longstanding record of five gold medals earned at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.
This latest victory brings Klaebo’s career Olympic gold medal count to 11, placing him second only to American swimmer Michael Phelps, who holds 23 Olympic titles.
The race featured a commanding Norwegian performance, with the country’s athletes claiming all three medal positions. Klaebo was initially part of a three-man Norwegian breakaway group, with Martin Loewstroem Nyenget setting an aggressive pace early in the competition.
However, Klaebo pulled away from his compatriots during the race’s final uphill section, using the same climbing strategy that had proven successful in his other victories throughout these Games.
Nyenget claimed the silver medal, crossing the finish line 8.9 seconds after Klaebo, while Emil Iversen earned bronze, finishing 30.7 seconds behind the winner. France’s Theo Schely placed fourth, nearly three minutes behind the Norwegian champion.
Despite his commanding victory, Klaebo showed rare signs of physical strain, collapsing at the finish line in an unusual display of exhaustion for the skier who has swept all six men’s cross-country events at these Olympics.
Several notable competitors withdrew from the race due to health issues. Norway’s Harald Oestberg Amundsen and Finland’s Iivo Niskanen, both considered medal contenders, dropped out around the 37-minute mark after completing approximately 15 kilometers.
Niskanen had been battling illness throughout the week, while Amundsen cited pre-Games sickness as affecting his performance.
“When I noticed I’m not going skiing for medals today, I figured it’s time to come to my senses so that I don’t kill myself out there,” Niskanen explained after withdrawing from competition.
Olympic medalists Federico Pellegrino of Italy and Ben Ogden of the United States were also absent from the race due to illness.
