2026 Olympics, cross-country skiing: “One day, I will have it”, the incredible medal record of the Norwegian Johannes Klaebo in gold ahead of Mathis Desloges

No one does better than him at the Winter Games. By beating the incredible silver medalist Mathis Desloges in the 10 km individual cross-country skiing race, Johannes Klaebo made even more Olympic history with his third coronation at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games this Friday. In Tesoro, the Norwegian equals the record of eight gold medals at the Winter Games, all sports combined.

“One day, I will have it,” his French runner-up joked on France Télé on the two individual races but for the moment in Italy, Johannes Klaebo is unbeatable. He joins three compatriots at the top of Olympus: ex-cross-country skiers Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie and former biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen.

The record for the number of titles on an edition in sight

He will have three opportunities to beat this record during these Games in the north of Italy, to definitively establish his domination over winter Olympic sport: the relay this Sunday (12:00 p.m.), the free team sprint on Wednesday February 18 and the classic 50 km on Saturday 21, on the eve of the closing of the Olympic Games.

“It’s a special day for me to have been able to win this 10 km, I had never done it before, even in the World Cup. To achieve this performance at the Games means a lot. It was very difficult but I am very proud of myself,” declared the Norwegian on Eurosport upon arrival.

In the event of a title in these three remaining events, Johannes Klaebo even has the opportunity to beat another historic record: that of five gold medals in the same edition of the Games, held by the American Eric Heiden since the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.

Also a silver and bronze medalist in 2022 in Beijing, the 29-year-old cross-country skier can also get closer to the absolute record for medals collected at the Winter Games (14 among men for Ole Einard Bjoerndalen and 15 among women for Marit Bjoergen).