Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo Makes Olympics History After Gold Medal in 50KM Mass Start

Norwegian cross country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the first athlete to ever win six gold medals at a single Winter Olympics on Saturday.

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Klæbo's gold in the men's cross country skiing 50-kilometer mass start at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics resulted in him breaking a tie with American speed skating legend Eric Heiden for the most gold medals at one Winter Games.

Klæbo led a Norwegian sweep of the 50km mass start, as Martin Løwstrøm Nyenge won silver and Emil Iversen secured bronze.

After making Olympic history, Klæbo told reporters, "It's unbelievable. It still feels really good to race, and I'm always looking forward to going out there and fighting for the medal."

Klæbo's sixth gold was the 18th of these Olympics for Norway, extending the Nordic country's record for the most golds won by a single nation at one Winter Games.

The podium sweep also gave Norway 40 total medals, essentially ensuring that it will prevail in both the gold and total medal races at the Milano Cortina Games.

While Klæbo's six golds are a new record, Heiden was not completely erased from the history books.

Since two of Klæbo's gold medals came in team events, Heiden's five golds won in individual events at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid remain an all-time record.