TESERO, Italy — Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo achieved a remarkable feat by securing his sixth gold medal in the men’s cross-country skiing events on Saturday, marking the highest number of golds won by a single athlete at a Winter Olympics.
Klaebo’s triumph in the 50-kilometer mass start race broke the long-standing record of five gold medals set by American speed skater Eric Heiden during the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.
While all of Heiden’s medals were from individual events, Klaebo has earned two of his golds through team competitions, leaving Heiden’s individual record intact.
His teammates, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Emil Iversen, completed the podium with silver and bronze, respectively, resulting in a Norwegian sweep.
With this victory, Klaebo raised his career total to 11 Winter Olympic gold medals across three Games, surpassing the previous record of eight, which he set on February 15.
Klaebo ranks second overall in Olympic gold medals, trailing only U.S. swimming legend Michael Phelps, who has 23.
This win contributed to Norway’s unprecedented 18th gold medal, further extending their lead in the overall medal tally for these Games to 40.
The country established a new record on Friday for the most gold medals earned by a nation in a single Winter Olympics when biathlete Johannes Dale-Skjevdal clinched victory in the 15-kilometer mass start race.
