Klaebo Wins 50km Mass Start for a Record Sixth Gold at a Single Winter Olympics

On February 21, 2026, at the cross-country skiing stadium in Tesero, in the province of Trento in Italy's Trentino-Alto Adige region, Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the men's 50km mass start classic in 2:06:44.8 at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, taking his sixth gold medal of these Games. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) reported the race.

Norway swept the podium. Martin Loewstroem Nyenget took silver in 2:06:53.7, 8.9 seconds back, and Emil Iversen took bronze, 30.7 seconds behind. Nyenget set the pace for most of the race and led Klaebo all the way to the finish, where Klaebo made his move on the last hill climb in the final kilometre to power clear. Iversen faded on the last lap but held on for bronze, ending his Olympic career with a medal.

It is the first time any athlete has won six gold medals at a single Winter Olympics, breaking the record of five set by American speed skater Eric Heiden at Lake Placid in 1980. Klaebo's career Olympic gold total rises to 11, second among all Olympians only to American swimmer Michael Phelps, who has 23. By winning all six of his events, Klaebo also repeated his six-from-six sweep at the 2025 FIS World Championships.

"It's unbelievable. After the world championships we knew that it was possible but to be able to do it, it's hard to find the right words. So many emotions when I'm crossing the finish line," Klaebo said, adding that he has been in a better place mentally, enjoys racing, and that his supportive family and fiancee helped them make the right choices, with six gold medals the result. Nyenget, at his first and final Olympics, said he would look back and be proud of the silver and his three medals at these Games: "I'm starting to believe maybe he is a machine. I did everything I could to get rid of him over 49k and in the last sprint when he's still there for me it is close to impossible to beat him."

All three Norwegians declined to switch to fresh skis on the last lap despite the course softening in the warm weather, while the chasing group changed skis at the 28.8km mark; France's Theo Schely finished fourth and Savelii Korostelev fifth. Finland's Iivo Niskanen, the only 50km Olympic medallist from PyeongChang 2018 in the field, dropped out at 15km alongside Norway's Harald Oestberg Amundsen, and Italy's Federico Pellegrino, the United States' Ben Ogden and Finland's Ristomatti Hakola were unable to start because of illness.

Related: Klaebo Anchors Norway to Relay Gold and a Record Ninth Olympic Title

Source: International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：挪威越野滑雪选手 Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo 在比赛中张开双臂庆祝（资料照片）。Granada 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo celebrates with arms spread during a race (file photo). Photo by Granada, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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