Norway cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo set a Winter Olympics record on Sunday by winning his ninth career gold medal — most in Winter Olympic history.
The gold was his fourth of the 2026 Winter Olympics, joining his victories in the 10 km freestyle, 20 km skiathlon and the men’s individual sprint.
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Klæbo, 29, earned his record as part of the men’s 4 X 7.5 km relay team, which beat out France and home country Italy in the competition. He was the final leg of the relay, following Emil Iversen, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Einar Hedegart.
Norway’s men’s cross-country team of Emil Iversen, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, Einar Hedegart and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo celebrate winning 4 x 7.5km relay at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 15. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
(Lars Baron via Getty Images)
Norway finished with a time of 1:04:24.5, 22 seconds ahead of France (1:04:46.7) and 47.9 seconds better than Italy (1:05:12.4). It’s possible the team could have posted an even faster time, but Klæbo slowed down a bit toward the finish to wave to spectators.
The United States placed sixth (1:06:11.8) in the event, finishing behind Finland and Canada.
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Nicknamed “Rocket Man” by Norwegian media, Klæbo previously won three gold medals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, finishing first in the individual sprint, 4 x 10 km relay and team sprint events. In 2022, he earned gold in the individual and team sprint events at Beijing.
With his ninth gold medal, Klæbo surpassed fellow Norwegian cross-country skiers Bjørn Dæhlie and Marit Bjørgen, along with countrymen and biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen.
Klæbo is still set to compete in two more events at the Milan Cortina Games, the men’s team sprint and 50 km mass start. A fifth gold medal at the 2026 Games would tie him with U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden for the most won during a single Winter Olympics.
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