STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 12 (Reuters) - Norwegian cross-country skiing sensation Johannes Klaebo, who set a Winter Olympics record by winning his ninth gold medal at the Milano-Cortina Games, was taken away in an ambulance after crashing out of a World Cup sprint race in Drammen on Thursday.
Klaebo swept the board at the 2026 Games, winning all six men's events he took part in.
But a sprint race in what should have been an electrifyinghomecoming on Thursday came to an abrupt end when he endured a sickening crash in the semi-final that saw four of the six racers hit the deck.
Fans had flocked to Drammen, some 35 km from the Norwegian capital Oslo, to see the 29-year-old compete, but instead they saw him get in a tangle with American Ben Ogden.
Though Klaebo did his best to remain upright, he eventually fell, spinning and bouncing the back of his head off the snow.
"It's incredibly icy out there, I lost my balance, and I don't know, I just fell," Ogden told NRK after the race.
Klaebo's hat flew off in the impact, and he remained lying on the snow in a prone position before eventually standing up and being led off the course.
He was later taken to hospital for a check-up.
"He is conscious, but it was a hard fall and this has to be taken seriously. I see it as positive that it does not appear to be anything serious, but that depends on the person," national team doctor Ove Feragen told state broadcaster NRK.
Klaebo's next scheduled race is Saturday's 50 km freestyle mass start race at the same venue, which is due to get underway at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT).
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
