Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo joins elite Olympic company with 10th gold medal
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Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo joins elite Olympic company with 10th gold medal
An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, right, and Einar Hedegart, of Norway, pose after winning the gold medal in cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, Image 2 shows Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway and Gus Schumacher of United States in action during the Men's Team Sprint Free Final
Bridget Reilly·NY Post Sports
·
3 min read
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It's not a mystery as to who has been the most dominant athlete at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won a 10th gold medal Wednesday after helping Norway win the men's cross-country team sprint, clocking in at 18:28.98 — 1.37 seconds faster than Team USA.
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Klaebo's dominance has made him only the second Olympian with at least 10 gold medals, joining elite company with American swimming icon Michael Phelps.
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, right, and Einar Hedegart, of Norway, pose after winning the gold medal in cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. AP
The Olympic legend and known butterfly master won 23 gold medals across four Olympic Games spanning from 2004-16.
The record includes a stunning eight wins at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Much like Phelps, Klaebo is forging a unique Olympic legacy of dominance.
"It's obviously very satisfying to make this happen," Klaebo said. "The team sprint is one of the most fun events, but also one of the hardest."
Klaebo will attempt to go 6-for-6 in Sunday's 50-kilometer mass start.
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With another victory, he would join three swimmers — Phelps (twice), Mark Spitz and Kristin Otto — along with gymnast Vitaly Scherbo in winning at least six gold medals in a single Olympics.
Wednesday's victory marked the 29-year-old's fifth gold in Milan, as he wiped the floor across the men's cross-country competitions over the last week.
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway and Gus Schumacher of United States in action during the Men's Team Sprint Free Final. REUTERS
He has won gold in every single race he's entered: the men's 10-kilometer free, 10km skiathlon, sprint classic, team sprint free and the 7.5km relay.
In the 7.5km relay, Klaebo broke a Winter Olympics record. He also went viral over his gold-medal finish in the men's sprint classic final on Feb. 10.
At the top of the hill, the race was already decided and Klaebo later enjoyed the finish in front of the rowdy crowd.
He crossed the finish line at 3:39.74, andAmerican Ben Ogdenmade up a lot of time on the straight to come within 0.87 seconds of him for the silver medal.
"There are so many strong teams and so many fast skiers, so it always comes down to tight battles," Klaebo said. "That makes it even more rewarding."
