Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won the men's 50km freestyle mass start in Trondheim, sweeping all six events at the 2025 World Championships. The victory, his 15th career world title, is a first for any man.
Six laps decided on the final climb
The race looped Granåsen's 8.3km course six times, with soft snow salted firm after mild weather. A lead group of five broke clear on the last lap before Klæbo surged on the penultimate climb. He rounded the final corner clear of Sweden's William Poromaa.
He crossed the line in 1:57:47.1, winning by 2.1 seconds. Poromaa took silver and Simen Hegstad Krüger bronze, as Norwegian teammates filled fourth and fifth. Klæbo then slumped against the hoardings, head bowed, as roughly 100,000 home fans roared.
Century of wins, one missing piece secured
This was his first individual distance title at a major championship, having lost a 50km win in 2021 to disqualification. The sweep surpasses the prior best by a woman, Yelena Välbe's five golds at the 1997 Worlds, also in Trondheim. He opened his championship with a fourth straight sprint crown before winning the skiathlon and 10km, then anchored both relay golds.
"This is way more than I expected and dreamed of," he told reporters. "Winning six out of six here, it's just crazy."
One year earlier he claimed his 100th World Cup win on the same trails. This race closed the circle on the one prize that had eluded him, and set a mark no man had ever reached.
