It’s not a mystery as to who has been the most dominant athlete at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won a 10th gold medal Wednesday after helping Norway win the men’s cross-country team sprint, clocking in at 18:28.98 — 1.37 seconds faster than Team USA.
Klaebo’s dominance has made him only the second Olympian with at least 10 gold medals, joining elite company with American swimming icon Michael Phelps.
The Olympic legend and known butterfly master won 23 gold medals across four Olympic Games spanning from 2004-16.
The record includes a stunning eight wins at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Much like Phelps, Klaebo is forging a unique Olympic legacy of dominance.
“It’s obviously very satisfying to make this happen,” Klaebo said. “The team sprint is one of the most fun events, but also one of the hardest.”
Klaebo will attempt to go 6-for-6 in Sunday’s 50-kilometer mass start.
With another victory, he would join three swimmers — Phelps (twice), Mark Spitz and Kristin Otto — along with gymnast Vitaly Scherbo in winning at least six gold medals in a single Olympics.
Wednesday’s victory marked the 29-year-old’s fifth gold in Milan, as he wiped the floor across the men’s cross-country competitions over the last week.
He has won gold in every single race he’s entered: the men’s 10-kilometer free, 10km skiathlon, sprint classic, team sprint free and the 7.5km relay.
In the 7.5km relay, Klaebo broke a Winter Olympics record. He also went viral over his gold-medal finish in the men’s sprint classic final on Feb. 10.
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
While taking on the big uphill climb of the race — a 240-meter ascent — Klaebo completely outperformed the rest of the pack of skiers
As he was sprinting uphill on skis, he hit a top speed of 11.4 miles per hour and went as fast as a 5:16 mile pace.
At the top of the hill, the race was already decided and Klaebo later enjoyed the finish in front of the rowdy crowd.
He crossed the finish line at 3:39.74, and American Ben Ogden made up a lot of time on the straight to come within 0.87 seconds of him for the silver medal.
“There are so many strong teams and so many fast skiers, so it always comes down to tight battles,” Klaebo said. “That makes it even more rewarding.”