TESSERO, Italy – Friday the 13th will be remembered as a lucky day for Johannes Hosflot Klaebo. The Norwegian cross-country skiing star won his eighth gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday, equaling a Winter Games record.
Claybaugh, 29, cruised to victory in the men’s 10km playoff start for his third gold medal at the 2026 Games.
With three races ahead of him, Klaebo shares the record with three other Norwegian athletes who have all retired: Marit Björgen and Björn Daihle in cross-country skiing and Ole Einar Bjorndalen in biathlon.
Claybaugh once again achieved a vital lead on the final hill, clocking 20 minutes and 36.2 seconds, and showed rare signs of fatigue when he collapsed at the finish line of the race, which is considered his most difficult challenge.
He was 4.9 seconds ahead of Frenchman Mathis Deluges and 14 seconds ahead of his main rival, Einar Hedegart, also Norwegian, who lost momentum on the final hill.
“It’s a special day,” Claybaugh said. “This definitely means a lot.. I’m lost for words.”
The Norwegian said he was happy with his tactics, racing the first half of the course at a controlled pace, saving energy for the run down the final hill and the home stretch.
“It was really tough today, so I’m very proud,” he said.
At the French camp, athletes and team officials celebrated as if they had won the race, linking arms and dancing in the snow after underdog Deluges won his second silver medal in his first Olympics.
“I trained incredibly hard for these races,” Delugis said. “I told people I got to this level, and now we are succeeding.”
The 23-year-old Frenchman, like many of the other top riders at the start of the second half, was unaware of his position during the race.
“I don’t really care what’s being shouted from the sidelines,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t listen to them. I’m just focused on my race. I know what I have to do, and I’m giving it everything.”
On a blue-sky day in northern Italy, where the racetrack was surrounded by snow-capped Dolomites, temperatures hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. A few racers chose to compete wearing only their race bibs.
Organizers had treated the course with salt on Thursday to strengthen the surface but left it untouched on Friday, a decision that favored Claybo, who started early among the classified skiers.
Norwegian fans led the celebrations, with national flags – red with a blue cross outlined in white – draped over the athletes and barriers in the spectator area. Claybaugh’s grandfather, Kari Hosflot, who helped launch his career, traveled to northern Italy to watch the race, while congratulatory messages poured in from his homeland, where cross-country skiing is a popular peak-time sport.
“Another show of strength from Johannes Hosflot Kleibo. What an exciting race performance! Congratulations on your third gold medal at these Olympic Games!” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Jahr Stoer wrote on social media.
