Norwegian cross-country skiing star Klaebo ties Olympic record by winning eighth career gold medal

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo insists the 10-kilometer race is the distance he struggles with most because it forces him to race the clock instead of another competitor.

Funny, it didn’t look like it at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday.

The 29-year-old Norwegian star made his trademark late surge to win the interval-start race. His time of 20 minutes, 36.2 seconds gave him his eighth career gold medal, tying fellow countrymen Marit Bjoergen, Bjoern Daehlie and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen for the most ever at the Winter Olympics.

The all-time mark could soon be Klaebo’s alone. He’s scheduled to compete three more times at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium.

On a warm day that left some skiers racing only in their bibs, Klaebo paced himself over the first half of the race before pouring it on late. The result was his third gold since arriving in Italy, and a small nod to the toll it’s taking. Klaebo fell into the snow shortly after crossing the finish line.

“It’s a special day,” Klaebo said. “This one means a lot for sure … I’m lost for words.”

More medals, but no more confessions, for Laegreid

Norwegian biathlete Strula Holm Laegreid added a second bronze medal in four days when he made the podium in the sprint.

This time, Laegreid opted not to share details of his personal life with the world. That wasn’t the case when he earned bronze in the 20-kilometer individual race on Tuesday. His stunning personal confession overshadowed the victory in that event by fellow countryman Johan-Olav Botn. Laegreid later apologized.

While the fallout of his disclosure became among the most talked-about stories during the first week of the Games, Laegreid tried to put his head down and simply get back to work.

“I tried to do biathlon and I just focus on the right thing at the right time,” said Laegreid, who finished 15.9 seconds behind gold medalist Fillon Maillet of France. “Focus on the skiing and the course. Focus on the shooting in the range and it paid off.”

Baff wins gold for Australia in snowboardcross

Snowboarder Josie Baff gave Australia its second gold medal of the Games when she stormed to victory in the women’s snowboardcross.

The 23-year-old Baff, who finished a distant 18th in Beijing four years ago, beat Eva Adamczykova of the Czech Republic and Italy’s Michela Moioli to the finish line. Baff, the 2020 World Junior Champion, is currently the second-ranked racer in the world.

Cooper Woods earned Australia’s first gold in Italy by triumphing in men’s moguls earlier this week.

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