Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher of the United States earned silver in the men's team sprint freestyle at the 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing 1.4 seconds behind gold medalists Norway. The achievement marks the first medal for a U.S. men's team in the event in Olympic history. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo secured his fifth gold of the Games for Norway.
At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Tesero, Italy, the men's team sprint freestyle race unfolded over six laps, with athletes alternating legs. The U.S. duo of Ben Ogden from Vermont and Gus Schumacher from Anchorage, Alaska, qualified with the fastest time, ahead of Norway. In the final, they stayed competitive, trading positions from first to seventh but remaining in the pack.
Ogden tagged Schumacher in second place for the anchor leg. Schumacher chased Norwegian Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo up the final hill but finished 1.4 seconds behind Norway's time of 18 minutes, 28 seconds. Italy's Federico Pellegrino and Elia Barp took bronze, 3.3 seconds back.
"It’s insane," Ogden said. "Man, we proved today and all week we are here to stay and the USA guys are in good form, so it was awesome."
For Schumacher, 25, this was his first Olympic medal after a challenging start to the Games, including a crash in the skiathlon and missing the individual sprint knockout. "I had to show up today and believe I could do it, look at Klaebo’s butt and lock in and follow that to the finish line," Schumacher said. "I felt pretty calm and light."
Klaebo, paired with Einar Hedegart, earned his 10th career Olympic gold, tying the single-Games record with five. "Then in the last lap, everyone was at full speed," Klaebo said. "It could’ve been a harder race but for me it was perfect."
The silver builds on Ogden's individual sprint silver last week, the first U.S. men's cross-country podium since 1976. Schumacher joins Alaskan Olympians like Kikkan Randall, who won gold in the women's team sprint in 2018. The pair, friends for a decade, celebrated together, with Ogden calling it "insanely fun to do it with your best buddy."
In the women's event, Sweden's Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist won gold in 20:29, with Switzerland and Germany taking silver and bronze. The U.S. team of Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern finished fifth.
