Klæbo Wins 6 Golds in Cross-Country Skiing, Sets Winter Olympics Record

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the living legend of cross-country skiing, has made history once again. The 29-year-old Norwegian swept all six cross-country events at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, setting a new record for most gold medals won at a single Winter Games.

Klæbo crossed the finish line first in the men's 50km mass start at the Tesero Cross-Country Ski Stadium in Italy on February 21, clocking 2 hours 6 minutes 44.8 seconds. He edged out fellow Norwegian Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget, who finished in 2:06:53.7.

With this victory, Klæbo completed his sweep of all cross-country skiing events: the 10km+10km skiathlon, sprint classic, 10km interval start free, 4×7.5km relay, team sprint, and 50km mass start.

The previous record for most gold medals at a single Winter Olympics was five, set by American speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.

Klæbo also extended his career total to 11 Winter Olympic gold medals, the most in history. He won three golds at PyeongChang 2018, two at Beijing 2022, and six at Milan-Cortina 2026.

Trained by his grandfather, Klæbo made his international debut during the 2015-2016 FIS Cross-Country World Cup season. He became the youngest overall World Cup champion in history at age 20.

Klæbo's six gold medals helped Norway reach 18 golds at these Games, setting a new record for most gold medals by a single nation at one Winter Olympics. Norway also broke its own record for total medals at a single Games with 40 (18 gold, 11 silver, 11 bronze), surpassing the 39 medals won at PyeongChang 2018.