Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo made history on Saturday by securing his sixth gold medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics in the men’s 50-kilometer mass start cross-country skiing race, setting a new record for the most gold medals won by a single athlete at one Winter Games, Baltimore Chronicle with reference to the Associated Press.
Klaebo’s triumph surpasses the nearly five-decade-old record held by American speed skater Eric Heiden, who claimed five golds at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. While Heiden’s wins were all in individual events, Klaebo’s haul includes two team event victories, meaning Heiden’s individual gold record remains intact.
Overcome with emotion, Klaebo described crossing the finish line as an indescribable moment, echoing his achievement from last year’s world championships in Trondheim, Norway, where he also won all six events. “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,” he said.
Norwegian teammates Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Emil Iversen completed a podium sweep, taking silver and bronze respectively. Nyenget commented on Klaebo’s dominance, saying, “I’m starting to believe maybe he is a machine. It’s close to impossible to beat him in the finish,” referring to Klaebo’s final uphill sprint.
The trio established an early lead and gradually expanded it over the course of the race. In the final lap, Nyenget and Klaebo surged uphill, dropping Iversen temporarily, before Klaebo executed his trademark finishing move to clinch victory. As he crossed the finish line, Klaebo raised his fingers to the sky, took a final stride, and collapsed onto his back in triumph.
France’s Theo Schely finished fourth, nearly three minutes behind, while Russian individual neutral athlete Savelii Korostelev came in fifth, 3:38.3 minutes back. The highest-placed U.S. skier was Gus Schumacher, 13th, who previously won silver in a team relay.
Klaebo now holds a total of 11 Winter Olympic gold medals over three Games, breaking his own previous record of eight on February 15. He ranks second in total Olympic golds overall, behind U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps with 23.
This win also marked Norway’s 18th gold medal of the Games, extending their lead in the overall medal count to 40. The country set a new record for the most golds won by a single nation at one Winter Olympics just the day before, when biathlete Johannes Dale-Skjevdal won the 15-kilometer mass start event.
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