Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (R) of Norway competes during the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
TESERO, Italy, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo extended his Olympic gold medal record to 10 as Norway secured the men's team sprint title at Milan-Cortina on Wednesday, while Sweden claimed the women's title.
Led by nine-time Olympic champion Klaebo, Norway clinched the men's gold in 18 minutes 28.98 seconds, marking Klaebo's fifth gold at these Games. The United States finished 1.37 seconds behind to take silver, while host nation Italy secured bronze in 18:32.29.
"It's pretty unreal. I feel like everything has worked out very well now. My shape is good, and I'm still motivated to do well in the races. I sleep a little bit better now than I did the first week here, but it feels amazing," Klaebo said afterward.
China's men's duo Wang Qiang and Li Minglin were eliminated in the qualification stage.
In the women's final, Sweden clocked 20:29.99 to win gold. Switzerland trailed by 1.40 seconds for silver, and Germany took bronze in 20:35.86.
Sweden's Jonna Sundling said: "It was really important, because Maja and I did this event at Beijing 2022 and were second, so to win this race was incredible. It felt really nice and safe to be skiing with Maja. It was really fun."
"It's something I've really been dreaming about. To be able to finish these Olympic Games with a gold medal, with Jonna, is huge," added Sundling's teammate Maja Dahlqvist.
China's women's pair Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Chi Chunxue advanced to the final after a strong semifinal performance and eventually placed 15th.
The cross-country skiing competition continues on Saturday with the men's 50 km mass start classical race. ■
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (R) of Norway competes during the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Athletes compete during the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (L) of Norway competes during the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Athletes compete during the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/He Canling)
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (R) of Norway competes during the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/He Canling)
Gold medalists Einar Hedegart and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, silver medalists Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher of the United States and bronze medalists Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino of Italy pose during the awarding ceremony for the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Gold medalists Einar Hedegart and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway pose during the awarding ceremony for the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Maja Dahlqvist (1st R) of Sweden competes during the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/He Canling)
Dinigeer Yilamujiang (R) of China competes during the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/He Canling)
Coletta Rydzek of Germany crosses the finish line during the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Chi Chunxue of China competes during the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Jonna Sundling of Sweden competes during the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Maja Dahlqvist of Sweden reacts after the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Gold medalists Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist of Sweden, silver medalists Nadja Kaelin and Nadine Faehndrich of Switzerland and bronze medalists Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek of Germany pose after the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free final at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
Gold medalists Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist of Sweden pose during the awarding ceremony for the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 18, 2026. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)
