By Liz Hampton and Tommy Lund
TESERO, Italy, Feb 22 (Reuters) – Norway’s Johannes Klaebo stamped his authority on sport while Sweden’s women were nearly unstoppable and a runaway dog somehow stole the biggest headline of all in a historic – and sometimes viral – cross-country programme at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Klaebo, 29, swept all six men’s cross-country skiing events, becoming the first athlete to claim six gold medals at a single Winter Games. The triumphs lifted his career tally to 11 golds, a record for the Winter Olympics, and the most behind U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who has 23.
“He’s the best skier in the world. I will try to just do the same, maybe one day,” said France’s Mathis Desloges, who heads home with three silver medals.
“King Klaebo,” as he has come to be known, outpaced his rivals by commanding margins in almost every race and briefly set social media alight when he charged up a brutal final climb on his skis, one of several surges that defined his Games.
“It’s hard to find the words. It’s unbelievable,” he said at the end of his final event. “Even though I’ve been nervous at some of the competitions, it still feels really good to race, and I’m always looking forward to going out there, fighting for the medals.”
The United States men also made history, winning two medals, their first in 50 years and the most they have ever claimed at a single Olympics, signalling what could be a new era of American prominence in the sport. Ben Ogden took silver in the men’s classic sprint before adding another alongside teammate Gus Schumacher in the team sprint.
“This era started a while ago, but it’s cool to prove it at the Olympics,” said Schumacher.
SWEDISH DOMINATION
Sweden’s women also nearly swept all gold medals, with the exception of the women’s relay, which was marked by a series of disastrous falls from Ebba Andersson early in the race. That team still clawed back to win second behind Norway, making up more than a minute and 20-second deficit after Andersson lost a ski while doing a full forward flip mid-fall.
These Games also marked the first time women raced a 50km classic race at the Olympics, a decision some skiers met with mixed emotions. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson won that race by a stunning two minutes and 15 seconds, while silver medallist Heidi Weng said it was too long.
“I’m so proud to be part of the group doing the first-ever (women’s Olympic Winter Games) 50km,” said U.S. skier Jessie Diggins, who was racing her fourth and final Olympics.
“We should have had it all along, but now we finally get it and that’s amazing.”
Diggins finished fifth in that race, and took bronze in the 10km freestyle event, delivering fewer podiums than expected after getting hurt earlier in the Games.
Klaebo’s uphill charge was not the only viral moment for the sport during the Olympics after two-year-old wolfhound Nazgul gatecrashed the women’s qualifying round of the team sprint.
A video of the dog sprinting behind two racers became one of the most beloved moments of the Olympics.
(Reporting by Liz Hampton and Tommy Lund in Tesero, Italy; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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