Stop us if you've heard this one before. Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo outclassed his competition to capture a gold medal on Friday morning at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium.
This time, the unstoppable force displayed his remarkable talent in the men's 10-km freestyle. Mathis Desloges of France won silver and Klæbo’s Norwegian teammate, Einar Hedegart, took bronze.
It's becoming routine at this point but the inevitability should not take away from what is beginning to feel like unmatched history.
The gold is Klæbo's eighth of a storied Olympic career. And he's not done. Friday's triumph marked the third victory for the skier at the Milan Cortina Games with three more opportunities to add to that record-tying total.
Klæbo is currently tied with three other champions from Norway—Marit Bjørgen, Ole Einar Bjørndalen and Bjørn Dæhlie. He could soon stand alone and has an honest chance to move his gold total into double digits to create what could be an unbreakable mark.
He will go for sole possession of the record as he competes in the team relay on Sunday and has another chance in the team sprint free next Wednesday. His final Olympic event is the men's 50-km classic on Saturday, Feb. 21.
If that weren't enough, Klæbo has already provided one of the most viral videos of these Games with an unbelievably impressive ascent made uphill on skis quicker than most could run.
Sub-six-minute mile pace uphill on skis: #WinterOlympics SPEED. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/trof9rs4zf
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 10, 2026
Most Winter Olympics Gold Medals
| Athlete | Country | Sport | Gold Medals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannes Høsflot Klæbo | Norway | Cross country | 8 |
| Ole Einar Bjørndalen | Norway | Biathalon | 8 |
| Marit Bjørgen | Norway | Cross country | 8 |
| Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway | Cross country | 8 |
| Tobias Arlt | Germany | Luge | 7 |
| Tobias Wendl | Germany | Luge | 7 |
| Ireen Wüst | Netherlands | Speed skating | 6 |
| Lyubov Yegorova | Russia | Cross country | 6 |
More Winter Olympics on Sports Illustrated
- Ilia Malinin Could Add to United States' Rich History of Gold in Men's Figure Skating
- Lindsey Vonn Understands Better Than Most the Risks That Came With Her Comeback
- Controversy On and Off the Ice
- Lindsey Vonn Posts Candid Video From Hospital After Olympic Crash: ‘I Feel Very Lucky’
- Team USA Women’s Curling Achieves Olympic First in Thrilling Win Over Canada
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo Has Chance to Stand Alone As Most Golden Winter Olympian.
