If he wins five out of six Olympic gold medals in men’s cross-country skiing, he will become the most successful Winter Olympian of all time.

It sounds unbelievable that such an achievement is even being discussed for a 29-year-old. Yet the skier from Trøndelag arrives at the Olympic Games with six World Championship gold medals from last season and 107 World Cup victories already on his résumé.

Nothing is normal when it comes to Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and his results. He has already won six Olympic gold medals and 15 World Championship golds, in addition to five overall World Cup titles.

When he won three gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, he became the youngest male Olympic gold medalist in cross-country skiing history. He followed that up by becoming the youngest-ever male overall World Cup winner.

Naturally, he also became the youngest male winner of the Tour de Ski in the 2018/2019 season. Many believe the rest are simply fighting for second place.

“If he wins five gold medals at the Olympics this year, that’s normal. Six golds would be very good, while four golds would be a bad Olympics for Klæbo,” says NRK expert, former World Champion, and former teammate Pål Golberg.

Rivals left powerless

Even his competitors seem almost powerless beforehand.

“He can win six golds again, but he’ll probably only win five,” Austrian Mika Vermeulen laughs when NRK asks about Klæbo’s chances.

Klæbo himself insists that nothing comes automatically in Val di Fiemme.

“You still have to race first. And five gold medals would be as many as I’ve won in total so far,” says Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

Despite already having four more Olympic gold medals than Petter Northug Jr won throughout his entire career, Klæbo has struggled to achieve the same level of popularity. Northug, with his scandals and outspoken personality, connected with people in a different way.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is an ascetic athlete who commits 100 percent to everything he does. Nothing is left to chance, and he admits that life can sometimes be a bit dull for his fiancée, Pernille Dysvik.

Iversen felt the difference

This season, Emil Iversen has followed Klæbo like a shadow, training and living alongside him since last season. The result has been a complete “makeover” for Iversen, from being just one of many to once again becoming a top-level skier and qualifying for the Olympics.

“I had to change everything, how I eat, how much I sleep, how I train, everything,” says Iversen, who truly realized just how serious Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is.

And half the medal is the confidence the ski king brings to the start line. He knows he can win on all types of courses. In mass-start races, he can beat everyone in the final sprint. In individual starts, he has also built a psychological edge over his rivals.

During the final World Cup weekend in Goms, Switzerland, he delivered yet another warning shot. His acceleration in the sprint final showed that he is in rare form. But what stood out even more was how he pulled away in the classic mass start, something new from Klæbo and proof that he has added another weapon to his arsenal.

The question is whether he even needs it.

Read More – Olympics 2026: Complete guide to the classic sprint

These are the medals

Olympic Games

• Gold – Relay, 2018 PyeongChang
• Gold – Classic sprint, 2018 PyeongChang
• Gold – Team sprint (freestyle), 2018 PyeongChang
• Gold – Freestyle sprint, 2022 Beijing
• Gold – Team sprint (classic), 2022 Beijing
• Silver – Relay, 2022 Beijing
• Bronze – 15 km classic, 2022 Beijing
• Gold – 20km Skiathlon, 2026 Milano-Cortina

World Championships

• Gold – Freestyle sprint, 2019 Seefeld
• Gold – Team sprint (classic), 2019 Seefeld
• Gold – Relay, 2019 Seefeld
• Gold – Classic sprint, 2021 Oberstdorf
• Gold – Team sprint (freestyle), 2021 Oberstdorf
• Gold – Relay, 2021 Oberstdorf
• Gold – Classic sprint, 2023 Planica
• Gold – Team sprint (freestyle), 2023 Planica
• Gold – Relay, 2023 Planica
• Gold – Freestyle sprint, 2025 Trondheim
• Gold – 20 km skiathlon, 2025 Trondheim
• Gold – 10 km classic, 2025 Trondheim
• Gold – Team sprint (classic), 2025 Trondheim
• Gold – Relay, 2025 Trondheim
• Gold – 50 km freestyle, 2025 Trondheim
• Silver – 30 km skiathlon, 2023 Planica
• Silver – 50 km classic, 2023 Planica
• Bronze – Freestyle sprint, 2017 Lahti

Junior World Championships

• Gold – Sprint, 2016 Rasnov
• Gold – 10 km classic, 2016 Rasnov
• Gold – Relay, 2016 Rasnov
• Bronze – Sprint, 2015 Almaty
• Bronze – Relay, 2015 Almaty

Also Read: Program for cross-country skiing at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Cross-country skiing schedule – Olympics 2026

Saturday, February 7: 20km Skiathlon C/F Women (More information can be found HERE)

• 13:00 CET: 20km Skiathlon C/F, Women

Sunday, February 8: 20km Skiathlon C/F Men (More information can be found HERE)

• 12:30 CET: 20km Skiathlon C/F, Men

Tuesday, February 10: Sprint C Women and Men (More information can be found HERE)

• 9:15 CET: Sprint Quali C, Women
• 9:55 CET: Sprint Quali C, Men
• 11:45 CET: Sprint Final C, Women
• 12:15 CET: Sprint Final C, Men

Thursday, February 12: 10km Interval Start F Women (More information can be found HERE)

• 13:00 CET: 10km Interval F, Women

Friday, February 13: 10km Interval Start F Men (More information can be found HERE)

• 11:45 CET: 10km Interval F, Men

Saturday, February 14: 4×7.5km Relay C/F Women (More information can be found HERE)

• 12:00 CET: 4×7.5km Relay C/F, Women

Sunday, February 15: 4×7.5km Relay C/F Men (More information can be found HERE)

• 12:00 CET: 4×7.5km Relay C/F, Men

Wednesday, February 18: Team Sprint Women and Men (More information can be found HERE)

• 9:45 CET: Team Sprint F Quali, Women
• 9:45 CET: Team Sprint F Quali, Men
• 11:45 CET: Team Sprint F, Women
• 11:45 CET: Team Sprint F, Men

Saturday, February 21: 50km Mass Start C Men (More information can be found HERE)

• 11:00 CET: 50km Mass Start C, Men

Sunday, February 22: 50km Mass Start C Women (More information can be found HERE)

• 10:00 CET: 50km Mass Start C, Women

Complete program for the Winter Olympic Games can be found HERE

Val di Fiemme, a classic Nordic skiing venue, promises thrilling racing on courses steeped in Olympic history. Fans around the World will have the chance to cheer on athletes across all distances, from explosive sprints to grueling marathons.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.