Defeating Norway and the dominant Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo was going to be an impossible task for every team taking part in the men’s cross-country team sprint Wednesday. Of all the other teams to compete, the U.S. came the closest, picking up a silver-medal finish in the event.
Team USA’s Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher got stronger as the event progressed, eventually finishing just 1.4 seconds behind Klaebo and Einar Hedegart for the silver.
It marked Ogden’s second medal of the 2026 Olympics. He also won the silver in the cross-country sprint, becoming the first U.S. male cross-country skier to medal since 1976. It was Schumacher’s first-ever Olympic medal.
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There were some early stumbles for Team USA, as two poor legs had them sitting in 12th after exchange four. From there, though, both Ogden and Schumacher stepped up their game, posting excellent times in the final two legs to claim the silver medal.
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo sets Olympic record with 10th gold
While the U.S. deserves plenty of credit for their finish, Klaebo was the bigger story. With the win, Klaebo picked up his 10th Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing, extending his record for most golds in Winter Olympic history. He’s won every event in which he’s competed at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics so far.
Klaebo has already picked up gold medals in the 10 km freestyle, 20 km skiathlon, individual sprint, 4 x 7.5 km relay and team sprint. He’ll also take part in the 50-kilometer mass start over the weekend, giving him another opportunity to extend his record and finish off one of the best individual Olympic performances of all time.
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Klaebo was well-known in Norway prior to the 2026 Olympics, as he already had five gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze under his belt. But his performance this year propelled Klaebo into the worldwide spotlight, cementing him as one of the most dominant athletes in the Olympics.
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