Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo Wins Gold Medal for Cross-Country Olympics 2026 10km + 10km Skiathlon

Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo earned his sixth career Winter Olympics gold medal Sunday as he won the men's skiathlon.

Klæbo crossed the finish line in 46:11.0. France's Mathis Desloges and Norwegian Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget had a tight battle for silver as Desloges edged Nyenget out by just 0.1 second.

Men's Skiathlon Medal Winners

• Gold: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway), 46:11.0
• Silver: Mathis Desloges (France), 46:13.0
• Bronze: Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget (Norway), 46:13.1

Klæbo remained near the top of the field for the entire race. He was never lower than fourth across the intermediates, though he did have some ground to make up over the final 6.7 kilometers.

The 29-year-old was 1.1 seconds behind Desloges before surging down the home stretch.

Early on, it looked like Desloges took himself out of the race altogether when he cut a corner and skied through the cones. He continued on and collected his first Olympic medal.

Klæbo is two golds away from tying the all-time record in cross-country skiing, which is shared by fellow Norwegians Bjørn Dæhlie and Marit Bjørgen.

"I'm going to take one race at a time and then we'll see," he said, per NBC Sports' Allison Hageman. "But it's a pretty good start and, with the weather and the crowds, it was amazing out there."

The men's individual sprint, which Klæbo won in 2018 and 2022, gets underway Tuesday.