From Trondheim trails to the Olympic throne: Klaebo’s journey to greatness

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) became the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time on Sunday, claiming his fourth title at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games as Norway won the Men’s 4x7.5km Relay Classic/Free.

"It feels amazing," the 29-year-old said.

"I’m not sure if I’ve ever dreamed about it either, it’s just something that I’m really proud of, for sure, and being able to do it with the team means a lot. It’s hard to find words for it because it hasn’t really sunk in yet."

Winning the first 10km Interval Start Free race of his career on Friday, Klaebo had joined an exclusive trio of athletes with eight Olympic gold medals at the Winter Games; biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen (NOR) and cross-country skiers Bjoern Daehlie (NOR) and Marit Bjoergen (NOR). Cruising alone to victory in his last 7.5km leg on Sunday, he moved clear of his compatriots in the all-time standings.

"It was great to share the top with them for a couple of days, and even better to be at the top alone. For sure it’s a big achievement," Klaebo said.

Growing up in Trondheim, Norway, Klaebo got his first pair of skis from his grandfather Kaare Hoesflot when he was two years old. He has not stopped skiing since, always with Kaare by his side.

Klaebo was also a talented footballer and when he had to pick one sport at the age of 16, he turned to his mentor, grandfather and best friend. Kaare did not push him in either direction, but they discussed the pros and cons of both sports, with Klaebo deciding to go for cross-country skiing, liking the fact that if something went wrong, he could blame himself.

Klaebo decided that he wanted to become the best cross-country skier in the world, and 13 years later Kaare was with him in Val di Fiemme as he claimed his ninth Olympic gold.

"It means a lot for sure. This is something that he’s been really working hard for, and he’s been my coach since I was 15," Klaebo said.

"We’ve really worked hard for it and for me to have him here and to be able to see this and what we have achieved over the years, it’s unbelievable and I’m so proud of how patient he has been with me.

Klaebo’s Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup debut came in February 2016, when he finished 15th in the Sprint Classic in Drammen, Norway, to kick off a decade of sporting success. Before the year was over, he had reached his first World Cup podium in the same event, in Ruka, Finland, and in February 2017, Klaebo claimed his first World Cup victory in the Sprint Free in Otepää, Estonia.

One week later, he made his World Championships debut, claiming a Sprint Free bronze in Lahti, Finland. At the World Championships in Seefeld, Austria, two years later, he won his first world title in the Sprint Free, leaving the event with gold medals in the Team Sprint and Relay. Today, Klaebo has 15 world titles to his name, including seven in individual events.

The Olympic debut came at PyeongChang 2018, where Klaebo won gold medals in the Sprint Classic, Team Sprint Free and the Men’s Relay.

At Beijing 2022, Klaebo defended his Sprint and Team Sprint titles and had to settle for silver in the Relay, but claimed his first individual distance medal at the Olympic stage, a bronze in the 15km Interval Start Classic.

His third Games have so far delivered four gold medals, including a first Olympic distance triumph in the 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free and a maiden victory in the 10km Free.

Originally a sprint specialist, Klaebo has become more versatile over the years and is an almost impossible challenge for a distance skier if he is still in the front group at the end of a race. His explosive pushes uphill, known as the “Klaebo-kliv” – “the Klaebo run” – became a signature move long before it went viral in the Milano Cortina 2026 Sprint Classic final.

Asked about what has made him the greatest Winter Olympian of all time, Klaebo said that Kaare "is one factor for sure".

"I’m really privileged to have such a good grandfather to help me with all of these things. He’s 83 years old but still the most innovative guy that I know," the nine-time Olympic champion said.

"He’s reading books and all kinds of scientific material to see what we can improve all the time, and that’s special.

Another career highlight came one year ago, when Klaebo won six gold medals in as many events at the 2025 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships on home snow in Trondheim.

Preparing for the event 5km from the house he grew up in, Klaebo isolated himself and only saw family members who were directly involved in his training programme, such as his father, Haakon. He did not go out for dinner once and limited his time spent with his girlfriend – all in order to avoid catching any illness.

He has talked about how the two children of his girlfriend's sister had asked if he was still their uncle when he had not seen them for 12 months.

His approach this time has been different, thanks in large part to training partner Emil Iversen (NOR).

"This year, I’ve made some changes. I’ve brought this clown (Iversen) into the team," Klaebo said, jokingly about his Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026 relay partner.

"We’ve had a lot of fun and this year has been much healthier than previous years, and coming into these Olympics, I feel less tired and I feel like my mental health is in a better place than it was at the World Championships last year.

Iversen and Klaebo also thanked two-time Milano Cortina 2026 gold medallist Frida Karlsson (SWE) for inspiring them to have more fun.

"We had some fun days in Lavaze (Italy) when we were training, and all of us were thinking about everything else than the Olympics, which was good," Klaebo said.

"Then we met again here in Val di Fiemme before the Olympics and had the same energy, which I think was good for all of us. So it was good to just think about something else. And that’s kind of what we’ve done."

Karlsson has said that Klaebo's advice helped her with the pacing as she won the Women's 10km Interval Start Free gold medal. Klaebo is an inspiration to most skiers on the Cross-Country circuit.

"He is so strong, and what he is doing is incredible," said Federico Pellegrino (ITA), who claimed two Sprint silver medals behind Klaebo at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022.

"He never messes up and is always at his best possible physical and mental condition. It’s an example that’s hard even to imagine trying to emulate or beat.

USA's Ben Ogden, who claimed silver behind Klaebo in the Milano Cortina 2026 Sprint, also sees the nine-time Olympic champion as an inspiration.

“There’s obviously a few fewer gold medals up for grabs when you race against Johannes, but all of us dream of having the stiffest competition and the best people to hold ourselves to the best standard,” the 26-year-old said.

“When you have to face Johannes in every single race, you know that you have to bring the best version of yourself and bring your A game, and you have to keep dreaming."

Klaebo’s Relay and Team Sprint teammate Einar Hedegart (NOR), who claimed the 10km bronze medal, called Klaebo "the GOAT by far".

"If Cross-Country skiing were bigger internationally, you would be able to cement that. Then you would be naming him alongside (cyclist) Tadej Pogacar (SLO) and (swimmer) Michael Phelps (USA). He’s an extreme athlete who just delivers, over and over again," Hedegart said.

"It’s an inspiration and I need to figure out what he’s done because it seems to have worked for Emil (Iversen) too."

In December, Klaebo reached the milestone of 100 World Cup victories, fittingly at Trondheim’s iconic Granaasen stadium. A month later, he claimed a record fifth Tour de Ski title, extending his clear lead in the Overall World Cup standings, where he is on course to claim a sixth Crystal Globe. So what’s next?

Another triumph at Milano Cortina 2026 would make Klaebo join Phelps as the only two Olympians with a double-digit total of Olympic gold medals. But the former USA swimmer’s record of 23 gold medals is not something on Klaebo’s mind right now.

"I think it’s going to be a bit too hard. Is it 14 more or something? That would mean I’d have to win the next four… it’s going to be way too many," he said.

The greatest Winter Olympian of all time has, however, not necessarily stood on top of a Games podium for the last time.

"My plan is to compete until 2030 and I’ll do that first and then we’ll see," Klaebo said.

"The way I live now is much healthier and I think I would be able to live like this for a few years, but I need to check back home how things are and if it’s working well."

The 2034 Olympic Winter Games are, however, not completely ruled out yet.

"The fact that it is in Salt Lake City (USA) is for sure a motivation," Klaebo said.

"I’ve spent so much time there over the past few years and I think that could be a motivation, but then I’d need a couple of years where I do something else. I think it would be hard to compete all the way until 2034, but we’ll see. I think we’ll start with the next two races here and see how that goes."

The Olympic Cross-Country action continues on Wednesday with the Men’s and Women’s Team Sprint Free.

Click here for schedule and results from Milano Cortina 2026 and here to follow FIS Cross-Country on Youtube.