TESERO, Italy – Friday the 13th will be remembered as a lucky day for Johannes Hosflot Klebo. Norway’s cross-country skiing star won her eighth gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday, equaling a Winter Games record.
Klebo, 29, claimed victory in the men’s 10 kilometer interval-start race for his third gold of the 2026 Games.
With Kleebo still three races ahead of him, he shares the record with three other Norwegian athletes, all of whom have since retired: Marit Bjørgen and Bjørn Dahli in cross-country skiing and Ole Einar Bjørndalen in biathlon.
Klebo again took a significant lead on the final hill and clocked a time of 20 minutes, 36.2 seconds, showing rare signs of fatigue as he collapsed at the finish line of what was considered his toughest challenge yet.
He was 4.9 seconds ahead of France’s Mathias Desloges and 14 seconds ahead of his main rival, Norway’s Einar Hedegaart, who lost momentum on the last hill.
“It’s a special day,” Klebo said. “It definitely means a lot… I have no words.”
The Norwegian said he was happy with his strategy, having raced the first part of the course at a controlled pace, saving energy for the run up the last hill and home.
“It was really tough out there today, so I’m very proud,” he said.
In the French camp, athletes and team officials celebrated as if they had won the race, linking arms and dancing on the ice, when underdog Desloges won his second silver medal in his first Olympics.
“I trained incredibly hard for these races,” Desloges said. “I told people I’m at this stage, and now we’re done.”
The 23-year-old Frenchman, like many other top racers at the beginning of the laps, was unaware of his position during the race.
“I don’t really pay attention to what’s being shouted from the sidelines,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t listen to them. I just focus on my race. I know what I have to do, and I give it my all.”
On a blue-sky day in northern Italy, with the racetrack surrounded by snow-covered Dolomite mountains, the temperature was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Some racers decided to compete wearing only their race bibs.
Organizers had poured salt on the course on Thursday to harden the surface, but left it untouched on Friday – a decision that favored Klebo, who started early among the seeded skiers.
The celebration was led by the Norwegian fans, as the national flag – red with a blue cross in white – was draped over the railing of the athletes’ and spectators’ area. Kleebo’s grandfather, Kaare Hosflot, who helped launch his career, flew to northern Italy to watch the race, while congratulatory messages poured in from home, where cross-country skiing is a prime-time sport.
“Another show of strength from Johannes Hosflot Kleebo. What a performance in an exciting race! Congratulations on gold number three at these Olympics!”. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere wrote on social media.
