Cross Country Skiing - FIS Cross Country World Cup - Falun, Sweden - January 31, 2021 Johannes Klaebo of Norway during the Men's Sprint Classic Qualification Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via REUTERS
Jan 27 (Reuters) - Norway's cross-country star Johannes Klaebo is chasing more than records at next month's Milano Cortina Olympics, with the 29-year-old aiming to transform personal milestones into a lasting place in history as the most decorated skier in the sport.
Klaebo is targeting a feat no one has achieved in cross-country skiing, aiming to become the most successful Olympic athlete in the sport by surpassing the eight gold medals won by his now-retired compatriot, female skier Marit Bjoergen.
Already a five-times Olympic champion, Klaebo will arrive in Italy having moved past the sprint dominance that made his name.
Renowned for explosive finishes and tactical speed, he has spent the past seasons racing more frequently over longer distances to become a contender across the full programme.
Klaebo underscored his range this season by winning six gold medals at the World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, collecting titles in sprint and distance disciplines.
His fine results have continued in the World Cup, where he has remained among the leaders in the overall standings.
In January, Klaebo claimed a fifth overall Tour de Ski title, extending his own record in the multi-stage event.
KLAEBO'S OLYMPIC MEDAL HAUL
The Olympic cross-country competitions will be staged in Val di Fiemme, where Klaebo has enjoyed several World Cup victories.
He made his Olympic debut at Pyeongchang in 2018, where he won three gold. At the 2022 Beijing Games, Klaebo retained his sprint titles and added a bronze medal in the 15 km individual event as well as claiming silver in the 4x10 km relay.
Since then, he has adjusted his training to compete across the full Olympic programme, balancing sprint speed with endurance to cover short and long-distance races.
Klaebo can reach 11 gold medals by winning all the available events in Italy, overtaking Bjoergen’s record to become the athlete with the most in Winter Olympic history.
"'I've never seen an athlete like him," Norwegian cross-country coach and commentatorFrederik Aukland said after Klaebo's six golds at the World Championships in March.
"In my eyes, he is the best cross-country skier of all time."
KLAEBO AT FOREFRONT OF NORWAY CHALLENGE
Norway are again expected to be among the strongest nations in the cross-country events, with Klaebo at the forefront of a team targeting medals across the schedule.
With final preparations now under way, the focus turns to whether Klaebo can translate his form onto the sport’s biggest stage and turn a record bid into history.
“Klaebo is, and remains, the best in the world,” Norwegian cross-country expert Petter Soleng Skinstad said. “His current sprint form is on a par with the very best he has ever produced and the Val di Fiemme courses are tailor-made for him.
"If you exclude the alpine hill, Klaebo has seemingly never lost a race on the Olympic tracks there. He has won every prologue, every sprint final and every distance race held on those courses. Six out of six Olympic gold medals are possible.”
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
