Klæbo wins third gold, ties Winter Olympic record
Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 13.02.26. | 22:06
The Norwegian skier eyes sole possession of all-time gold medal record with three events remaining
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, 30, the living legend of Norwegian cross-country skiing, has become a three-time champion at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Having tied the record for the most Winter Olympic gold medals (8) across all events, he is poised to make history as the sole record holder if he wins just one of the three remaining events.
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Klæbo won the men’s 10 km interval start freestyle race on Friday, 13 February, in the afternoon at the cross-country skiing stadium in Tesero, Italy, with a time of 20 minutes 36.2 seconds.
Despite never having won this event in previous World Cups or World Championships, he achieved victory on the Olympic stage.
He said, “It is simply amazing to achieve my first win in this event at the Olympics, and it was special to perform at my best during the Olympic period.”
He has now won all three events he has competed in so far.
After winning the skiathlon on Sunday, 8, and the sprint classic on Tuesday, 10, he extended his personal Olympic gold medal tally to eight, tying the all-time record.
The previous record was jointly held by three Norwegian athletes: Marit Bjørgen, 46 years old (retired), a female cross-country skier; Ole Einar Bjørndalen, 52 years old (retired), a male biathlete; and Bjørn Dæhlie, 59 years old (retired), a male cross-country skier.
Among them, Bjørgen also holds the record for the most medals overall with eight golds, four silvers, and three bronzes.
Klæbo has three more events left, including the 4x7.5 km relay on Sunday, 15 February, and is on the verge of claiming sole possession of the record for the most gold medals.
He said, “I’ve been aiming for the Olympics all season. I trained for countless days at high-altitude locations in particular. My physical condition right now is really good.”
