Relaxed Klaebo has Olympic records within reach at Milano Cortina 2026

At the 2025 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo produced a clean sweep of gold medals, claiming all six world titles on offer in front of a home crowd.

The record feat made him the most decorated men's skier at world championships level, with a total of 15 gold medals, passing compatriot Petter Northug on 13.

At the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Klaebo has new records within reach. The five-time Olympic champion needs to win four gold medals to become the most successful Men's Olympic Winter Games Cross-Country skier.

Klaebo comes to the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium as No.2 in the medal standings. Another Norwegian, Bjoern Daehlie, has the first place with eight gold medals, and a total of 12 podium finishes.

"I look forward to getting started and then we'll see if it's possible to do what we did in Trondheim. It's hard to tell right now," Klaebo said.

Before last year's main event, 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.

Klaebo 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.

For these Games, followers have been able to follow a seemingly more relaxed Klaebo on social media.

"Last year, it was something that helped me. I felt that I had a real focus and did everything I could, but then I also know how much that costs," Klaebo said.

"This year, I've had Emil (teammate Emil Iversen) with me and I've felt that it's been very positive. I've felt that we've been able to lower our shoulders and have a bit of fun, I think that's important.

After two Games, at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022, Klaebo's medal tally consists of two Team Sprint gold medals, two Sprint gold medals, one Relay gold, one Relay silver and a 15km Interval Start Classic bronze medal. This time, he said he has no specific target.

"I haven't set any concrete goals of what results I'd be happy with, but the goal is obviously to be fighting up there (for the victory) in every event and we will start with that on Sunday (with the Skiathlon)," Klaebo said.

"It will be 14 nice days here and it looks like we'll get a bit of everything weather-wise, I think that will suit us from Trøndelag (the region around Trondheim) well.

In the Norwegian team, a big part of the challenge is getting selected to race. 

Together with Coop FIS Cross-Country World Cup No.1, Klaebo, Norway's Harald Oestberg Amundsen and Mattis Stenshagen hold the podium positions in the standings, where retiring home favourite Federico Pellegrino of Italy is fourth.

"It's difficult to make it to the Olympic Games," Amundsen said.

"We've had a proper showing at all World Cup stages this season, and we're a lot of people who have gone with our shoulders high for many weeks before we got selected for the team, so as a Norwegian men's skier the biggest is almost to make it into the Olympic squad.

Several skiers in the team, including Amundsen, Stenshagen, and World Cup No.12 Martin Loewstroem Nyenget (NOR), are Olympic debutants. Nyenget has won two 10km Interval Start Classic races this World Cup season and could challenge Klaebo over the longer distances at his first Games.

"I've trained well and trained a lot, and felt that I've done the job that I've wanted to have done, so it'll be exciting to see how far that can take me," Nyenget said.

Pellegrino carried Italy's flag at the opening ceremony at San Siro, entering his fourth and last Games. The 35-year-old has won two consecutive Sprint silver medals behind Klaebo, but is hoping to bring Italy to a team medal in front of a home crowd before hanging up his skis. In Trondheim last year, the 2017 Sprint world champion claimed silver in the Sprint Free, behind Klaebo.

"I will try to do my best and if my shape is the same as in Trondheim 2025, I will do all the races apart from the 10k skate. I think that the plan can work and we will take it race after race," Pellegrino said.

Whether it is Pellegrino, Overall World Cup No.8 Elia Barp or any of the other Italians, the skiers in blue are confident that they will feel that extra push from the home crowds.

"I'm confident about this because I know that usually, at the Olympic Games, the host nation gets a good energy from this," Pellegrino said.

"I know that this will help, but a lot will be decided by our heads and legs."

Another Sprint expert to give Klaebo a run for his money is Sweden's Edvin Anger, who finished second in the Overall World Cup standings last season. This year, however, the 23-year-old has not yet reached the highs of his 2024/2025 season.

When he finished in third place in the Sprint Classic final in Goms, Switzerland, in the last World Cup weekend before the Games, it was his first Sprint podium this season.

"It was pretty important," said Anger, who is No.6 in the World Cup standings.

"I've been struggling a bit with the Sprints and not really got it the way I've wanted, especially in Classic style, where I've been eliminated in all quarter-finals.

The men's competitions consists of six events, starting on 8 February with the 20km Skiathlon Classic/Free, concluding with the 50km Mass Start Classic on 21 February.

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