Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo achieved an unprecedented feat at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. In Saturday's 50-kilometer classic technique race, he secured his sixth gold medal at the same event, winning every competition he entered. The outstanding athlete not only surpassed the legendary achievement of Erik Heiden from 1980 but also led the Norwegian team to a record-breaking eighteen championship titles at a single Winter Olympics.

Klaebo's historic record

The Norwegian became the first athlete in Winter Olympic history to win six gold medals at a single event.

Norway's podium domination

Norwegian representatives took all three places on the podium in the classic 50-kilometer race.

End of Erik Heiden's record

Klaebo's 2026 achievement broke the 46-year-old record of five gold medals set by the American.

Saturday's competition over the 50-kilometer distance in Tesero became the stage for a historic success that will be permanently recorded in the annals of world sport. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, by triumphing in the grueling mass-start race, completed an Olympic Grand Slam. The 29-year-old Norwegian won all six races he participated in: the skiathlon, sprint, individual race, team sprint, relay, and the final 50-kilometer event. With eleven gold medals to his name, he has become the most decorated athlete in the history of the Winter Olympic Games, dethroning previous legends, including ski jumpers and biathletes. The race over the classic distance was dominated from the start by the Norwegian representatives, who imposed an extremely high pace on their rivals. Klaebo crossed the finish line with a time of 2:07:07.1, ahead of his compatriots: Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Emil Iversen. This complete domination of the podium allowed Norway to set a new national record of eighteen gold medals and a total of forty medals won during a single edition of the Winter Games. Since the first Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924, the 50-kilometer race has been considered the toughest test of character and physical endurance. For decades, Scandinavians have dominated it, making this event a cornerstone of their national sporting identity. Klaebo's feat has symbolic significance, as he broke the record of American speed skater Erik Heiden, who won five gold medals at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. After crossing the finish line, the exhausted Norwegian collapsed onto the snow, celebrating a moment that Italian media dubbed the „coronation of the king of skis”. The athlete's success sparked a wave of discussion about his versatility, as Klaebo proved he can dominate both in short sprints and in the most demanding endurance races. 6 — gold medals won by a single athlete at these Games „I'm just chasing the feeling of those last 100 metres; that's what I do this all for.” — Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo Norway's victory in the medal standings confirms their status as a winter sports powerhouse. The training system based on mass participation and excellent infrastructure in the Trondheim and Oslo regions yields results in the form of serial successes. Klaebo announced that after such an intense Olympics, he needs time to recover and consider his next career steps.

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