Norwegian skier writes Olympic history with gold medal count at Milan-Cortina

Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has set a new record at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, claiming his sixth gold medal of the Games and breaking the record for most gold medals won by an athlete at a single Winter Olympics.

He has won the men's 50km mass start classic on February 21 by surpassing fellow compatriots Martin Lowstrom Nyenget and Emil Iversen by 8.9 and 30.7 seconds respectively, TNT Sports reported.

The scale of Klæbo’s dominance was further underscored by the gap to the rest of the field. French skier Théo Schely, who finished fourth, crossed the line nearly three minutes behind the winner, while several competitors were unable to complete the grueling race.

Even before Milan-Cortina, Klæbo had already amassed more Winter Olympic gold medals than any other athlete. With his sixth gold in Italy, he surpassed the long-standing single-Games record set by American speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

The newly acquired wins in Italy have raised his collection of Olympic gold medals to 11, making him the athlete with the most medals in Olympic history after US swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 23.

Klæbo’s triumph also strengthened Norway’s commanding position in the medal standings. The country claimed its 18th gold medal of the Games, surpassing its previous record of 16 set four years earlier.

Norway has historically dominated cross-country skiing, a discipline that accounts for a substantial share of the nation’s Winter Olympic success. Roughly half of Norway’s more than 400 Winter Olympic medals have come from cross-country skiing and speed skating, underscoring the Scandinavian country’s enduring strength in endurance winter sports.

By Nazrin Sadigova