TESERO, Italy, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Johannes Klaebo led Norway to victory in the men's 4x7.5km cross-country relay at the Winter Games on Sunday to win a record ninth career Olympic gold and cement his reputation as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
The 29-year-old has won four gold medals at these Games and is widely expected to take another two in the men's team sprint on Wednesday and 50km classic race on Saturday.
Klaebo took over for the final leg with a lead of 12.2 seconds and extended it to 22.2 seconds by the time he crossed the line. France took silver and the bronze went to Italy.
Klaebo’s gold on Sunday puts him ahead of Norwegian cross-country skiers Marit Bjoergen, Bjorn Daehlie and biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, with whom he shared a previous record.
The medal, which also went to teammates Emil Iversen, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget and Einar Hedegart, is the 11th gold for the Scandinavian country, which leads the Olympics in both overall victories and total medals at 22.
"We have a strong team. This is really important for all the waxers and coaches and everyone, including the teammates sitting back at the hotel, who also could have been a part of this team. It’s a team win and for me to do that as a ninth one is perfect," Klaebo said after the race.
EASIEST GOLD
Norway kept a steady lead for much of the race, which was seen as Klaebo's easiest path to a gold in these Games. France's Mathis Desloges, who had two silvers going into the race, pulled his team into medal position during the third leg of the race, while Italy's Federico Pellegrino overcame Finland in the anchor leg to take bronze on home soil in his last Olympics.
"This French team is very strong and today we wrote some history," Desloges said following the race.
France's team also included Theo Schely, Hugo Lapalus, and Victor Lovera, while Davide Graz, Elia Barp, and Martino Carollo also raced for Italy.
"It is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. But two years ago, when I started to think about the home Olympics, seeing the teammates increase their level, the dream became a goal. And today we achieved it," Italy's Pellegrino said.
Klaebo's dominance has awed his competition, many of whom have conceded that he may be unstoppable.
The Norwegian has led by a comfortable margin for nearly every race of these Games, and Sunday's finish was no exception, as he cruised across the finish line comfortably, waving at the many Norwegian fans in the crowd.
"We’d all love to beat him but you have to admit he’s probably one of the greatest athletes in any sport, summer or winter, maybe ever. Just the level of dominance is hard to believe," said U.S. skier Zak Ketterson after the race.
(Reporting by Liz Hampton and Tommy Lund in Tesero; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
