02/18/26 06:39:00
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02/18 06:37 CST Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo wins record 10th Olympic gold
with victory in men's team sprint
Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo wins record 10th Olympic gold with victory in
men's team sprint
By DEREK GATOPOULOS and BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press
TESERO, Italy (AP) --- Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won a 10th gold medal
in cross country skiing at the Milan Cortina Olympics, setting another Winter
Games record.
Klaebo, racing with Einar Hedegart, won the men's team sprint, for his fifth
gold at the 2026 Games Wednesday, clocking 18 minutes, 28.9 seconds. Ben Ogden
and Gus Schumacher of the United States were 1.4 seconds behind for the silver,
while Italy's Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino took bronze, 3.3 seconds back.
"It's obviously very satisfying to make this happen," the 29-year-old Klaebo
said. "The team sprint is one of the most fun events, but also one of the
hardest." Klaebo has won every race he has entered at these Games, breaking the
Winter Olympics record in Sunday's 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay. His final race will
be in the 50-kilometer mass start at the weekend. "There are so many strong
teams and so many fast skiers, so it always comes down to tight battles,"
Klaebo added. "That makes it even more rewarding." In the women's competition,
Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist continued Sweden's winning run.
Switzerland's Nadja Kaelin and Nadine Faehndrich took silver with Laura Gimmler
and Coletta Rydzek of Germany taking the bronze. Norway was edged out to fourth
place.
"It is just amazing, so happy and so relieved too," Dahlqvist said. "We have
like five, six girls who could do the team sprint today. So we have a really
strong team and I'm happy to bring a gold for the whole team."
Jessie Diggins of the United States pushed the pace early in the race but
finished fifth with partner Julia Kern.
During the heats, a dog ran onto the track while the women's heats were in
progress, running alongside athletes as they crossed the finish line. The
incident did not disrupt the competition, and the dog was cheered on by
spectators. It later wandered to the finish area, approaching skiers as they
completed their runs.
Venue officials said a spectator had brought the animal into the venue despite
a strict no?pets policy. The dog was secured near the finish line and its owner
was asked to leave.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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