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Johannes Høsflot Klæbo led Norway to victory in the men’s 4x7.5km cross-country relay at the Milano Cortina Games on Sunday to win a record ninth career gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
The 29-year-old has won four gold medals at these Games and is widely expected to take another two in the men’s team sprint on Wednesday and 50km classic race on Saturday.
Klæbo took over for the final leg with a lead of 12.2 seconds and extended it to 22.2 seconds by the time he crossed the line. France took silver and the bronze went to Italy.
Klæbo’s gold puts him ahead of the Norwegian cross-country skiers Marit Bjørgen, Bjørn Dæhlie and biathlete Ole Einar Bjørndalen, with whom he shared a previous record.
“I like the sound of that! It’s a pretty nice title,” Klæbo said after the race. “But it’s special to do this together with this group. In Norway, winning the relay is what really matters – and today we all delivered.
“We’ve had so much fun – both here and at training camps throughout the year. It’s been a great season. Today, even though everyone was nervous, there was still a relaxed atmosphere.”
Norway kept a steady lead for much of the race, which was seen as Klæbo’s easiest path to a gold medal of these Games. France’s Mathis Desloges, who has taken two silvers so far, pulled his team into a medal position during the third leg of the race, while Italy’s Federico Pellegrino overcame Finland in the anchor leg to take bronze on home soil in his last Olympics.
