Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Klaebo wins a Winter Olympic record ninth gold

TESERO – Johannes Klaebo led Norway to victory in the men’s 4x7.5km cross-country relay at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games on Feb 15 to win a record ninth career Olympic gold.

The 29-year-old has won four gold medals at these Games and is widely expected to take another two in the men’s team sprint on Feb 18 and 50km classic race on Feb 21.

Klaebo took over for the final leg with a lead of 12.2 seconds and extended it to 22.2sec by the time he crossed the line. France took silver and the bronze went to Italy.

Klaebo’s gold on Feb 15 puts him ahead of Norwegian cross-country skiers Marit Bjoergen and Bjorn Daehlie as well as biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who have all won eight Winter Olympic gold medals in their respective careers.

“We have a strong team. This is really important for all the waxers and coaches and everyone, including the teammates sitting back at the hotel, who also could have been a part of this team. It’s a team win and for me to do that as a ninth one is perfect,” Klaebo said.

The medal – also won by his teammates Emil Iversen, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Einar Hedegart – is the 11th gold for the Scandinavian country, which leads the Games in both overall victories and total medals (24) at press time.

“This French team is very strong and today we wrote some history,” said France’s Mathis Desloges, who had two silvers going into the race.

Federico Pellegrino of Italy commented: “It is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. But two years ago, when I started to think about the home Olympics, seeing the teammates increase their level, the dream became a goal. And today we achieved it.”

France’s team also included Theo Schely, Hugo Lapalus and Victor Lovera. Davide Graz, Elia Barp and Martino Carollo were Pellegrino’s teammates for the hosts Italy.

Klaebo’s dominance has awed his competition, many of whom have conceded that he may be unstoppable.

The Norwegian has led by a comfortable margin in nearly every race of these Games and the Feb 15 finish was no exception as he cruised across the finish line, waving at the many Norwegian fans in the crowd.

“We’d all love to beat him but you have to admit he’s probably one of the greatest athletes in any sport, summer or winter, maybe ever. Just the level of dominance is hard to believe,” said US skier Zak Ketterson after the race. 

In Cortina d’Ampezzo, Federica Brignone won her second Olympic gold of the Games on Feb 15 after storming to victory in the giant slalom, but Mikaela Shiffrin’s medal misery continued.

Already a super-G winner earlier, Brignone clocked a combined time of 2min 13.50sec to become the first Italian woman skier to win gold in two events at the same Olympics, less than a year after suffering a broken leg.

The 35-year-old finished 0.62sec ahead of joint silver medallists Sara Hector of Sweden and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund to become Olympic and world champion in her favoured discipline.

Brignone also revised her record as the oldest female medallist – she surpassed Lindsey Vonn with her super-G win.

Shiffrin, meanwhile, now has the Feb 18 slalom race left to end her eight-year Olympic medal drought after managing to place only 11th.

The US skier left the 2022 Beijing Games without a single medal from six races, failing to even finish in three, but in the intervening years has established herself as the greatest of all time with a record 108 wins on the World Cup circuit.

In Livigno, Canada’s “King of the Moguls” Mikael Kingsbury, 33, signed off his Olympic career in style on Feb 14, winning the men’s dual moguls to collect his fifth medal at a Winter Games. Ikuma Horishima of Japan claimed silver and Australian Matt Graham earned bronze.

Kingsbury, who took silver in the individual event earlier in the Milan-Cortina Games, kept his cool to become the first-ever winner of the men’s dual moguls – the discipline is making its Olympic debut in Italy.

“It’s the cherry on top of five Olympic starts and five medals,” said the Canadian. “I got to win it in 2018 (in Pyeongchang) in singles and I got to win it (today) in duals. It’s tough to find the words.

“I gave everything, this is extra special. I’m the oldest guy in the field. They keep me young in what I do, I love skiing. I’m very proud of myself... I knew it was my last Olympic performance... I had no regrets. I didn’t feel too nervous.”

Also in Livigno, Britain’s Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale won the gold medal in the mixed team snowboard cross on Feb 15. Italy’s Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva claimed silver, while Lea Casta and Loan Bozzolo earned bronze for France.

After a miserable start to the Games for the much-heralded Swedish biathlon team, Martin Ponsiluoma managed to shake off the dust with a perfect series of five shots on the final shoot and superb last lap to grab gold in the men’s 12.5km pursuit on Feb 15.

Known to his team simply as “Ponsi”, the laid-back 30-year-old piled the pressure on leader Emilien Jacquelin of France, who missed twice to incur two costly penalty loops and open the way to victory for the Swede.

“I tried to not look at his targets, but I heard. I thought it was two misses, so I just tried to go in and focus on myself. And then make a fast and clean shoot,” Ponsiluoma told Reuters following his golden victory.

Jacquelin’s misses caused him to slip to the bronze medal position, with Sturla Holm Laegreid sneaking in ahead to grab silver.

Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi put on a superb display of shooting, hitting all 20 targets to win gold in a thrilling women’s 10km biathlon pursuit race on Feb 15. Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide took silver ahead of Suvi Minkkinen of Finland.

On Feb 14, Kirkeeide shot perfectly and skied brilliantly on a frenetic final lap to win a stunning gold medal in a thrilling biathalon women’s 7.5km sprint race that was decided in the last few hundred metres. Oceane Michelon of France took the silver, with compatriot Lou Jeanmonnot securing bronze.

American Jordan Stolz achieved the 500m and 1,000m double, a feat not seen in men’s speed skating for 46 years. Dutchman Jenning de Boo took silver, while Canada’s Laurent Dubreuil bagged the bronze.

Dutch speed skater Jens van ‘t Wout struck gold in the men’s 1,500m short track, his second individual title of the Games. South Korean reigning champion Hwang Dae-heon came second, while Latvia’s Roberts Kruzbergs won the bronze.

Austria’s 36-year-old Janine Flock won the women’s skeleton singles with a performance of masterful consistency and iron nerve. Olympic debutante Susanne Kreher took silver ahead of German compatriot Jacqueline Pfeifer.

Slovenia’s Domen Prevc lived up to his billing as favourite to claim gold in the men’s large hill ski jumping event, with Japan’s Ren Nikaido taking silver and Kacper Tomasiak securing bronze for Poland. AFP, REUTERS