Who has won the most Olympic medals of all time? Here is an overview of the most successful men in cross-country skiing.

See the complete overview and the top 10 most successful male cross-country skiers at the Olympics further down in the article.

Bjørn Dæhlie of Norway is by far the most successful male cross-country skier in Olympic history, with 12 medals, including eight golds, earned across three Olympic Games (1992, 1994, and 1998).

Sixten Jernberg and Alexander Bolshunov are the closest challengers to Dæhlie. Both have nine medals, but the Swede has five golds compared to the Russian’s three. Jernberg won his nine medals across three Olympic Games (1956, 1960, and 1964). Bolshunov won his nine medals at two Olympics (2018 and 2022).

In addition to Dæhlie, Norway has four other skiers in the top 10.

Also Read
Stars of Olympic cross-country skiing: Top 10 most successful women of all time
The stars of Olympic biathlon: Top 10 most decorated women of all time
The stars of Olympic biathlon: Top 10 most decorated men of all time

Top 10 most Olympic medals in cross-country skiing, men (ranked by total number of medals)

1. Bjørn Dæhlie, Norway: 12 medals (8 gold, 4 silver) 
2. Sixten Jernberg, Sweden: 9 medals (5 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) 
2. Alexander Bolshunov, Russia: 9 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)
4. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Norway: 7 medals (5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) 
4. Veikko Hakulinen, Finland: 7 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) 
6. Thomas Alsgaard, Norway: 6 medals (5 gold, 1 silver)
6. Gunde Svan, Sweden: 6 medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) 
6. Vegard Ulvang, Norway: 6 medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) 
9. Nikolay Zimyatov, Soviet Union: 5 medals (4 gold, 1 silver)
9. Pål Tyldum, Norway: 5 medals (2 gold, 3 silver) 

(Sources: FIS, Wikipedia, IOC)

This is how the 2026 Olympic Games will be

The Winter Olympics in Italy will be held from February 6 to 22.

The regular cross-country skiing events at the Olympics will take place from February 7 to 22. All competitions will be held in Val di Fiemme.

In total, there are 12 regular events, six for men and six for women: 20km skiathlon, classic sprint, 10km freestyle, relay, team sprint/paired relay, and 50km classic.

Read More – Program for cross-country skiing at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

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