Winter Olympics 2026: Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo ties record by winning eighth career gold medal
- - Winter Olympics 2026: Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo ties record by winning eighth career gold medal
Sean Leahy February 13, 2026 at 10:24 AM
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Johannes Høsflot Klæbo tied a Winter Olympic record on Friday by winning his eighth career gold medal. The Norwegian cross-country skier was victorious in the men's 10km freestyle race finishing 4.9 seconds ahead of Mathis Desloges to earn his third gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games.
The 29-year-old Klæbo already claimed gold in the 20km skiathlon and the individual sprint. His first three career gold medals came in the individual sprint, 4 x 10km relay and the team sprint at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang. He added to his total with two more golds in Beijing in 2022 in the individual and team sprints, while also taking home silver in the 4 x 10km relay and bronze in the 15km classical.
Klæbo's achievement puts him in a tie with fellow Norwegians Bjørn Dæhlie, Marit Bjørgen and Ole Einar Bjørndalen. He could separate himself from that group before he leaves Italy as he is scheduled to also compete in the 4 x 7.5km relay, men's team sprint and 50km mass start.
Before he tied Olympic history, Klæbo had already made a name for himself among those who may not closely follow cross-country skiing. Video of his uphill sprint on the way to his second gold medal of these Olympics went viral as his sub-six-minute mile pace amazed social media, garnering over 15 million views on X.
Sub-six-minute mile pace uphill on skis: #WinterOlympics SPEED. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/trof9rs4zf
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 10, 2026
“I like to go to every race thinking that it’s a race for the win,” said American Ben Ogden, who took home silver behind Klæbo in the individual sprint. “But these days, a lot of the time it’s a race for second.”
U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden holds the record with five gold medals won in a single Winter Olympics. Klæbo will have a chance to make more history over the final week of the Milan Games.
Source: “AOL Sports”
