Norwegian skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo entered the 2026 Winter Olympics with five career gold medals and a shot at making Winter Games history.
Already the winningest man in World Cup cross-country skiing, Klaebo’s campaign in Milan Cortina opened with consecutive victories that brought him within reach of the all-time Olympic gold record in his discipline.
The 29-year-old started with a win in the men’s skiathlon, finishing in 46 minutes, 11 seconds to beat France’s Mathis Desloges and Norwegian teammate Martin Nyenget. It was Klaebo’s first Olympic medal in the event after finishing 40th in Beijing.
Klaebo's next race came just two days later in the sprint classic, where he surged ahead early and cruised to a second gold, with Team USA's Ben Ogden the only competitor getting close to his final time.
That seventh career gold put Klaebo one away from tying the Winter Olympicsrecord for gold medals, held by Norwegian cross-country skiers Bjorn Daehlie and Marit Bjorgen and Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen.
The Wall Street Journal’s Georgi Kantchev wrote a story on Tuesday in which he compared Klaebo to American swimming legend Michael Phelps, headlined, "He’s the Michael Phelps of Winter."
Kantchev wrote that the Norwegian is close to joining the American “in the pantheon of Olympic legends,” calling him the “most dominant athlete at the Winter Olympics.”
Klaebo can still complete his ongoing Olympic run with a six-event sweep in Italy, which has drawn comparisons to Phelps’ historic eight-gold haul at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Phelps retired with 28 total Olympic medals, including 23 golds.
Kantchev noted that Klaebo’s summer training included extended stints in Park City, Utah, where loneliness helped him train as much as possible, as the athlete himself noted on a FasterSkier podcast.
Kai Pfaffenbach-Reuters via Imagn Images
“Nobody recognizes me here, which is a good thing,” Klaebo said. “There aren’t many people to talk to, so you’re in your own bubble. My days will just be eat, train, sleep.”
In Norway, as noted by Kantchev, Klaebo is a legitimate celebrity and known countrywide.
Klaebo appears on billboards in his native country, and he's even more recognizable because of his signature skiing technique, known as the Klaebo stride or "Klæbo-klyvet" in Norwegian, which has become a point of national pride.
Klaebo's next event is the men’s 10km interval start free, scheduled for Friday at 5:45 a.m. ET.