Vermont native Ben Ogden won silver in the men's sprint classic at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, ending a 50-year medal drought for U.S. men in cross-country skiing. He finished 0.8 seconds behind gold medalist Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway. The achievement marks only the second such medal for an American man, following Bill Koch's silver in 1976.
At the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on February 10, 2026, Ben Ogden, a 25-year-old from Landgrove, Vermont, secured silver in the men's sprint classic event. Ogden qualified second in the morning round and advanced through the heats, winning his quarterfinal before finishing third in the semifinal as a 'lucky loser' to reach the final. In the decisive race, Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo surged ahead on the final uphill climb to win gold in 3 minutes, 39.8 seconds, his seventh Olympic gold and second of the Games. Ogden crossed the line in 3:40.61, 0.8 seconds behind, while teammate Oskar Opstad Vike took bronze, 6.8 seconds off the pace.
Ogden's medal is the first for a U.S. man in Olympic cross-country skiing since fellow Vermonter Bill Koch won silver in the 30km event at the 1976 Innsbruck Games. 'It’s an unbelievable dream come true,' Ogden told reporters. He celebrated with a backflip off the podium, a nod to his younger self. Ogden reflected on his late father, John, a former Middlebury College skier and coach who died of cancer in 2023 at age 56: 'I miss him every single day.' Family roots run deep; Ogden is the fourth generation from Landgrove, population 177, and his mother, Andrea, attended the race.
A University of Vermont engineering graduate and three-time NCAA champion, Ogden trains with the Stratton Mountain School's SMS T2 team, co-founded by Koch. Koch, watching from Vermont, told VTDigger: 'I am so full of emotions... It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.' Ogden hopes his success boosts U.S. cross-country skiing, saying, 'I hope it gives the future of the sport in the U.S. a big boost.' In the women's sprint, Sweden swept the podium, with U.S. skier Julia Kern placing sixth.
