Norway’s Klaebo wins opening race at Milan Cortina, grabbing sixth gold medal in skiathlon

TESERO, Italy (AP) — Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won a sixth Olympic gold medal in his opening race of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games in the men’s skiathlon on Sunday.

The 29-year-old was in the lead pack throughout the sprint, beating his competitors in the sprint to finish in 46 minutes and 11 seconds, ahead of Frenchman Mathis Desloges and Norwegian pacemaker Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, who were 2.0 seconds and 2.1 seconds behind.

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The French escaped instant disqualification after running through the cones to turn a corner, with judges having to review the race.

Challengers Edvin Anger of Sweden and Norwegian Harald Oestberg Amundsen suffered falls on the icy course.

Klaebo has emerged as the hot favorite in the 20-kilometer skiathlon, which splits the race between classic and freestyle techniques, with athletes changing skis halfway. This year marks the first Olympic Games where men and women run an equal distance of 20 kilometers, with the men reducing the distance by 30 kilometers.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics