Norway’s Johannes Klæbo is new Winter Olympics king : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3690x2460+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F76%2Ff0%2F21c4ce1d4717924c01fdb099f33d%2Fgettyimages-2262245661.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3690x2460+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F76%2Ff0%2F21c4ce1d4717924c01fdb099f33d%2Fgettyimages-2262245661.jpg" class="img" alt="Gold medallist Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo smiles as he celebrates during a podium ceremony for the men's cross country 50km mass start final event of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme) on February 21, 2026." fetchpriority="high"/> Gold medallist Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo smiles as he celebrates throughout a podium ceremony for the lads's cross nation 50km mass begin ultimate occasion of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Video games at Tesero Cross-Nation Snowboarding Stadium in Lago di Tesero (Val di Fiemme) on February 21, 2026. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP cover caption

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ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP LAGO DI TESERO, ITALY — The Winter Olympics formally have a brand new king.

Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo cemented his place Saturday because the winningest athlete within the historical past of the winter Video games, claiming an unprecedented sixth straight gold medal in Italy — this time within the 50-kilometer marathon.

Going into Saturday's occasion, Klæbo's 5 medals at this Olympics left him tied with American speedskater Eric Heiden for essentially the most golds in a single Video games. With 11 golds in his profession after Saturday, Klæbo now trails solely American swimmer Michael Phelps for total Olympic titles — although he nonetheless has some work to do to meet up with Phelps' 23 victories.

In Saturday's race, Klæbo used his trademark ending dash to drop teammate Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget on a steep ultimate climb, giving him sufficient of a cushion to wave to the gang on the homestretch.

The end result provides Klæbo 12 straight gold medals, going again to final 12 months's World Championships in his house metropolis of Trondheim in Central Norway. He additionally gained each occasion at that competitors.

He stated the magnitude of his Olympic accomplishment sunk in after he crossed the end line. After taking his skis off, Klæbo sat hunched over, staring into the snow, earlier than standing up and congratulating his teammates and the remainder of the finishers.

"There's so many decisions you make each single day to have the ability to be at your finest. And for me, right now, to have the ability to crown this Olympics with the 50 Okay-k and doing it my manner, it is particular," Klæbo stated at a information convention later. "All these feelings are type of hitting you on the similar time."

Nobody compares Others on the cross-country ski trails in Lago di Tesero had been additionally making an attempt to wrap their minds round Klæbo's exploits: outclassing all his rivals in occasions as brief as a three-and-a-half minute dash and so long as Saturday's two-hour marathon.

"I do not actually really feel like there's one other athlete on this planet that may evaluate to that scope of athleticism," Gus Schumacher, an American cross-country skier who claimed a silver medal earlier within the Video games, stated after ending Saturday. "It is actually insane."

Coaches and athletes, after Klæbo's sixth win, expressed a transparent consensus that the Norwegian now owns the title of best cross-country skier of all time.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7000x4667+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F36%2F57%2F8ced7d7442289191545b08a16130%2Fap26052391668854.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7000x4667+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F36%2F57%2F8ced7d7442289191545b08a16130%2Fap26052391668854.jpg" class="img" alt="Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, left, and Individual Neutral Athlete Savelii Korostelev compete in the cross country skiing men's 50km mass start Classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026." loading="lazy"/> Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, left, and Particular person Impartial Athlete Savelii Korostelev compete within the cross nation snowboarding males's 50km mass begin Traditional on the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. Evgeniy Maloletka/AP cover caption

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Evgeniy Maloletka/AP "Now we have by no means seen a greater athlete on skis than him," stated Anders Byström, a coach from rival Sweden. "Not fairly positive — I am actually sure about that."

As Eirik Nossum, one among Norway's coaches, put it: "That is what we shall be speaking about once we're previous, to our grandkids."

Whereas Klæbo has made lots of his Olympic victories in Italy look simple, observers stated that what's most spectacular about his performances are that they had been really hard-won.

Earlier in his profession, Klæbo was a robust sprinter, however he did not all the time have the health or endurance to vie for medals in longer races.

From dash specialist to all-around achiever Up till this 12 months's Video games, he'd by no means been in a position to win one of many codecs on the Olympic schedule: the 10-kilometer race in cross-country's skating method. Klæbo stated his victory in that occasion was the product of a long-term coaching plan he developed together with his grandfather that was particularly geared towards boosting his health. Centered blocks of coaching at excessive altitude helped, too.

"Over time, now we have tried to construct the stamina," Klæbo stated. "I believe that has labored out effectively."

Consultants stated Klæbo has mastered each the large image of cross-country snowboarding, in addition to the small stuff — particulars like discovering the quickest path round downhill corners.

"He has expertise and method and all these different issues that nobody has," stated Jostein Vinjerui, a Norwegian who coaches the UK's crew on the Olympics. "He is accomplished a hell of a job."

Erik Valnes, a Norwegian teammate, stated that Klæbo can beat his rivals even when he isn't at his finest — which Valnes stated was the case at a number of the races on the Olympics.

Klæbo acknowledged that a few of his race-winning efforts exhausted him, together with one which left him holed up in his lodge room taking part in video video games the day afterward. Earlier than Saturday's race, he had chilly signs and a crew physician assessed him earlier than beginning, in accordance with the Norwegian tabloid VG.

Nyenget, who in the end positioned second Saturday, set an intense tempo within the race's early phases — and when he requested his teammate to assist push, Klæbo wasn't succesful.

"I stated no," Klæbeo stated. "As a result of I used to be too drained."

However he nonetheless had sufficient vitality left for the ultimate dash, and relegated Nyenget to second.

Nyenget and different athletes acknowledged that it may be somewhat irritating to compete within the Klæbo period.

However additionally they stated that the ski king pushes all of them to be higher.

Emil Iverson, who's additionally from Trondheim, spent a lot of the previous 12 months shadowing Klæbo in an try to spice up his personal health and expertise — even touring to a coaching camp in Utah with him. After inserting third and successful his first particular person Olympic medal Saturday, Iverson credited his buddy with placing him there.

"It is simply enjoyable to compete with the perfect skier ever," Iverson stated. For others "to take the silver and bronze, that is the perfect of the remaining — and I believe we should always simply be completely happy about that."

Most of the athletes and coaches interviewed Saturday stated they assume Klæbo possible would have discovered success no matter sport he'd chosen, although not everybody agreed.

At a information convention after Saturday's race in biathlon — a sport that mixes snowboarding and precision riflery — the winner, France's Océane Michelon, identified that she'd by no means seen Klæbo training. And Tereza Voborníková of the Czech Republic, the bronze medalist, stated she was eager for the Norwegian to strive.