Klaebo and Norway’s record: Dale-Skjevdal skis Norway to 17th Olympic gold
klaebo — Johannes Dale-Skjevdal became the first biathlete in the 15-kilometer mass start to hit all 20 targets and skied to Norway’s 17th gold medal of the Milan Cortina Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, breaking the record for the most golds by a nation at a single Winter Games.
Perfect shooting and a decisive finish in Anterselva
Dale-Skjevdal moved into the lead after the first standing bout with clean shooting and completed five laps on newly packed snow and gusty winds in 39 minutes, 17. 1 seconds. His flawless shooting performance — 20 of 20 targets — delivered the gold that put Norway past its previous Olympic high of 16 golds set in Beijing in 2022.
Teammates, rivals and racing details
Sturla Holm Laegreid missed only one target and finished 10. 5 seconds back to take silver, his fifth medal of the Games; Laegreid, who turned 29 on Friday, described it as a special day. Philipp Horn of Germany held third place off the range, but Quentin Fillon Maillet of France chased him on a big hill and passed him to claim bronze, 25. 6 seconds behind Dale-Skjevdal. Fillon Maillet added to a haul that already included gold in the sprint and the mixed relay and brought his Olympic total to nine medals.
Struggles, retirements and race format
Campbell Wright, the United States’ final chance for a biathlon medal, missed seven of 20 shots and finished last. Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel cleaned all 10 of his prone shots and led early but retired on the third lap; the Italian biathlon federation sent a message that he pulled out because of a sudden pain in his side that affected his breathing. Only the top 30 biathletes, based on World Cup rankings and Olympic performance, compete in the mass start, skiing five 3-kilometer loops with two prone and two standing shooting bouts.
Klaebo and the immediate outlook
The milestone pushed Norway clear at the top of the gold-medal table at these Games. The women’s 12. 5-kilometer mass start is scheduled for Saturday, the final day of the Olympic biathlon competition, and will close out the sport’s events at Milan Cortina.
klaebo
