Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo anchored his team to victory in the men's 4x7.5km cross-country skiing relay at the 2026 Winter Olympics, securing his ninth career gold medal and breaking the all-time Winter Games record. France took silver, while host nation Italy earned bronze in a thrilling finish. The win marks Klæbo's fourth gold of the Milan-Cortina Games.
In Tesero, Italy, on February 15, 2026, Norway's team of Emil Iversen, Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget, Einar Hedegart, and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo dominated the men's 4x7.5km cross-country skiing relay, finishing in 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 24.5 seconds. Klæbo, starting the anchor leg with a 12.2-second lead over France, extended it to 22.2 seconds, crossing the line at a relaxed pace to celebrate with teammates holding the Norwegian flag.
The 29-year-old Klæbo surpassed the record of eight golds previously held by compatriots Marit Bjørgen, Bjørn Dæhlie, and Ole Einar Bjørndalen. This victory follows Norway's women's relay gold the previous day and adds to Klæbo's three golds from Pyeongchang 2018 and two from Beijing 2022. He now eyes further success in the team sprint on Wednesday and the 50km classic on Saturday, potentially becoming the first man to sweep all six cross-country events.
France, led by two-time silver medalist Mathis Desloges and Victor Lovera, secured silver for their third cross-country medal of the Games. Italy's Federico Pellegrino, 35 and in his final Olympics as flag bearer, overtook Finland's Niko Anttola in a tense battle for bronze—Italy's first cross-country medal at their home Games. Pellegrino, already a two-time silver medalist, celebrated emotionally, saying, “It is something that I was dreaming of for a long time... the dream became a goal and today we achieved it. It’s maybe the thing that I’m most proud of in my career.”
The United States, featuring recent silver medalist Ben Ogden, finished sixth after a strong start but faded later. Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre attended and praised the team on social media, calling Klæbo the “Winter Olympian of all time.” Klæbo shared the credit: “It was a fantastic race, great to be able to give this gold medal to Norway. The other guys made it so possible and easy for me. It’s a team result.”
Clear skies improved conditions from the women's relay, allowing a procession-like race dominated by Norway.
