On a clear Sunday in the Dolomites, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo anchored Norway to victory in the men's 4×7.5 km relay. The gold medal was the ninth of his Olympic career, a new Winter Games record.
Nine golds, a record alone
The previous mark of eight golds belonged to retired Norwegian greats Marit Bjørgen, Bjørn Dæhlie and Ole Einar Bjørndalen. Klæbo had equalled that number two days earlier in the 10 km free. Now, in Tesero, he moved ahead of them all.
An anchor leg without drama
Skiing behind Emil Iversen, Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget and Einar Hedegart, Klæbo took over with a secure lead. He made the final leg look casual, slowing before the finish to wave at cheering supporters. Norway stopped the clock at 1 hour, 4 minutes and 24.5 seconds, a full 22.2 seconds clear of France.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was on his feet in the stadium. The victory erased the frustration of a silver medal in this same relay at Beijing 2022. “We were disappointed in Beijing when we got the silver,” Klæbo told reporters afterwards. “So, now we're finally back on the top again.”
Klæbo first stood on an Olympic podium at PyeongChang 2018, taking sprint gold aged 21. His rise from that debut to the most successful Winter Olympian stretches across eight years of methodical dominance. The relay gold was his fourth consecutive win of the Milano Cortina programme.
Nicknamed "Rocket Man" by Norwegian media, he now holds a record that stood untouched for years. The kid who won a sprint in Korea had become the king of a cold-weather sport.
