Johannes Høsflot Klæbo Makes History: First Athlete to Win 6 Golds at a Single Winter Olympics

Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo etched his name into Olympic lore on Saturday, February 21, 2026, by winning the men's 50km mass start classic at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. This victory completed a perfect 6-for-6 gold medal sweep in cross-country skiing events, making him the first athlete in any sport to win six gold medals at a single Winter Games.

Klæbo crossed the finish line in 2:06:44.8 (some reports note slight variations like 2:07:07.1, likely due to timing updates), powering away in his signature sprint style on the final uphill to secure the win. He collapsed in exhaustion and emotion right after, pointing skyward in celebration before rolling onto his back.

Race Highlights and Norwegian Dominance

Norway dominated with a full podium sweep:

Gold: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) – 2:07:07.1

Silver: Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget (NOR) – +17.5 seconds

Bronze: Emil Iversen (NOR) – +46.2 seconds

Norway swept the podium in a commanding performance, breaking away early and controlling the race. Klæbo waited patiently before launching his decisive move on the final hill, out-sprinting Nyenget decisively. Nyenget later called him "a machine," noting it's "close to impossible" to beat him in the finish.

France's Theo Schely took fourth (+2:37+ back), with Savelii Korostelev (AIN, Russian neutral) in fifth. Top U.S. finisher Gus Schumacher placed 13th.

Historic Context

This shatters the previous single-Games Winter record of five golds, set by U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics (all individual). While Heiden's were all solo events, two of Klæbo's came in team formats (relay and team sprint), so Heiden retains the individual record.Klæbo's six golds here boost his career Winter Olympic tally to 11 golds (most ever for a Winter athlete), with 13 total medals across three Games (2018, 2022, 2026).

He trails only Michael Phelps (23 golds overall) in total Olympic golds.He mirrored his feat from the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, where he also swept all six events. Post-race, the 29-year-old said he was "overwhelmed with emotions" and still loves racing.Norway's Medal SurgeKlæbo's win delivered Norway's 18th gold of these Games — setting a new single-Winter-Olympics national record (surpassing their previous highs). Norway leads the overall medal table with 40 medals (18G-11S-11B as of latest updates post-race), well ahead of the USA (30) and host Italy (29).This caps a dominant cross-country showing for Norway, cementing Klæbo — often called the "King of Cross-Country" — as arguably the greatest Winter Olympian ever in his sport.