Norway finishes Milan Cortina with record 40 medals, 18 golds

Norway cemented its reign as the undisputed power of the Winter Olympics, accumulating at least 40 medals at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games — surpassing its own record of 39, set at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. The haul included 18 gold medals, also a single-Games record, eclipsing the 16 golds Norway won in Beijing in 2022.thebiglead+3

The crowning achievement came on Saturday, when cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won his sixth gold medal of the Games in the men's 50-kilometer mass start classic, breaking American speed skater Eric Heiden's nearly half-century-old record of five golds at a single Winter Olympics, set at the 1980 Lake Placid Games. Klæbo led a Norwegian podium sweep, finishing in 2:06:44, with Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget taking silver 8.9 seconds behind and Emil Iversen earning bronze.sports.yahoo+3

"It's unbelievable. After winning the world champs last year, we knew that it was possible, but to be able to do it, it's hard to find the right words," Klæbo told reporters after the race, according to Reuters.sports.yahoo+1

Klæbo's Perfect Run

The 29-year-old Klæbo went six-for-six in men's cross-country skiing events in Milan Cortina, winning the skiathlon, 10km free, sprint classic, relay, team sprint, and 50km mass start. With 11 career Olympic gold medals, he now trails only swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 23, on the all-time list. He is the first athlete to sweep all six men's cross-country events at a single Games.nbcolympics+5

In the 50km race, the three Norwegian skiers broke away early and turned the Olympic marathon into a private contest, lapping competitors by nearly three minutes. Klæbo deployed his trademark burst on the final climb to pull clear of Nyenget. Fourth-placed Theo Schely of France finished nearly three minutes back.ST+1

A Small Nation's Outsized Dominance

Norway's dominance at the Winter Games defies its population of roughly 5.5 million — smaller than the state of Colorado. The country has now topped the medal table at three consecutive Winter Olympics, the first nation to accomplish that feat since Germany did so from 1998 to 2006.nbcolympics+3

The Scandinavian nation's medals in Milan Cortina were concentrated in snow disciplines: 11 in biathlon, 10 in cross-country skiing, five in ski jumping, four in speed skating, and three in Nordic combined, according to CBC. Tore Øvrebø, head of Norway's Olympic delegation, attributed the success to a culture that prioritizes broad participation from a young age. "We share knowledge because we are not big enough to stay in silos," Øvrebø told Reuters.sports.yahoo+1

Entering these Games, Norway already held the all-time Winter Olympic lead in gold, silver, and bronze medals. Its haul in Milan Cortina only widened that gap over the second-place United States, which won 32 medals and a record 11 golds of its own.nytimes+2