Klaebo won the men’s 10-kilometer interval-start freestyle on Feb. 13 (Korean time) at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium in Italy, finishing in 20 minutes, 36.2 seconds.
He added the title to golds in the men’s skiathlon (10km+10km) and the men’s sprint classic at these Games.
The victory gave Klaebo eight Olympic gold medals in total. He won three at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games (men’s sprint classic, men’s 4x10km relay and men’s sprint freestyle) and two at the 2022 Beijing Games (men’s sprint freestyle and men’s team sprint classic).
Klaebo’s eight golds tie the all-time Winter Olympics record, matching biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and cross-country skiers Bjoern Daehlie and Marit Bjoergen, all of Norway.
If Klaebo can also win long-distance events, he could set a new record for most Winter Olympic gold medals. At last year’s world championships, he won six golds, including the 10km classic, 20km skiathlon and 50km freestyle.
The 10km freestyle was held in an interval-start format, with skiers starting at set time gaps and the fastest overall time determining the winner.
Klaebo was 12th through the opening 1.8 kilometers, then surged over the final 1 kilometer to take gold.
South Korea’s Lee Jun-seo of Gyeonggi Provincial Government finished in 24:25.4, placing 73rd among 113 competitors.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.