Johannes Klaebo led a Norwegian podium finish in the men’s classic 50km cross-country race on Saturday, claiming his sixth gold of the Milano Cortina games and breaking the record for most titles at a single Winter Olympics.
Saturday’s victory for “King Klaebo,” as fans call him, breaks American skater Eric Heiden’s record of five gold medals at the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. It was the 11th gold of his career for the 29-year-old, giving him the most Olympic titles behind American swimmer Michael Phelps, who has 23 to his name.
“It’s incredible. After we became world champions last year, we knew it was possible, but to be able to do it, it’s hard to find the right words,” Klaebo said after the race.
Klaebo was part of a trio of Norwegian skiers who broke away from the peloton early in the race as Martin Loewstroem Nyenget picked up the pace and looked ready to challenge for gold.
However, Klaebo tore away on the final climb of the competition, charging up the same hill where he had stranded competitors for other races in these Games.
“There are choices to be made and we made the right choices this year. Mentally I’m in a better place than last year and I’m having a lot of fun racing now,” he said.
Nyenget won silver, finishing 8.9 seconds behind Klaebo, and the bronze went to Emil Iversen, who stayed with his teammates for much of the race but finished 30.7 seconds behind the lead.
