Norway’s cross-country skiing team secured a dominant victory in the Olympic relay, with Johannes Klaebo claiming his ninth gold medal. The Swiss team finished ninth, struggling to replicate previous World Championship success as Norway maintained an untouched lead throughout the race to cement Klaebo’s status as the most successful Winter Games athlete.
Johannes Klaebo’s Historic Ninth Gold
Norway entered the relay as the heavy favorite and delivered a performance that left the rest of the field trailing. The victory was anchored by Johannes Klaebo, who now holds the record for the most successful athlete in Winter Games history with nine gold medals.
The Norwegian Olympic Committee (NOC) confirmed the victory shortly after the finish, noting that the team’s preparation and wax selection were optimal for the specific snow conditions of the course. Norwegian head coach Per Ivar Hovden stated that the team’s strategy focused on aggressive pacing in the second and third legs to neutralize the chasing pack before Klaebo took over.
The race was decided well before the final stretch. Martin Nyenget, the second skier for Norway, broke away from the leading group during the latter part of his stint, handing over the lead to Einar Hedegart with a 10-second advantage. Hedegart managed to push that margin further, giving Klaebo a 12-second gap as he began his final 7.5 kilometer section.
Klaebo closed the race with clinical precision, crossing the finish line 22 seconds ahead of the nearest competitors. France took the silver medal, led by a strong anchor leg from Maurice Manificat, while Italy secured the bronze with a performance anchored by Federico Pellegrino.
The Swiss Decline from Trondheim
For Team Switzerland, the result was a stark departure from the heights they reached 11 months ago. At the World Championships in Trondheim in February 2025, the Swiss squad achieved a surprising silver medal, but that form vanished during this Olympic outing.
The disparity in performance stems largely from a depleted roster. The lineup that competed on Sunday bore little resemblance to the silver-medal winning team from Trondheim. Only Valerio Grond remained from that squad. The team lost Jonas Baumann to retirement after last season, while Cyril Fähndrich and Jason Rüesch failed to qualify for the Olympics entirely due to missed distance quotas in the final qualifying period.
Swiss-Ski National Team Coach Andreas Steiner acknowledged the gap in depth during a post-race press conference, stating that the absence of Baumann and Fähndrich left the team without the necessary stability in the middle legs. He noted that the current roster lacked the high-end aerobic capacity required to sustain the pace of the top five nations.
Expectations were modest, and the performance matched them. The Swiss finished in ninth place, managing only to stay ahead of a struggling Swedish formation that suffered from technical errors during their transitions.
Tactical Breakdown of the Swiss Relay
The Swiss struggle became evident early in the rotation. After Nicola Wigger completed his leg, Valerio Grond took over. The Zurich Oberland native was unable to maintain the pace set by the primary chasers of the Norwegian team, losing ground on the steepest climbs of the second lap.
By the time Grond finished his work and handed off to Beda Klee, the gap had widened to just over 40 seconds. The situation worsened during the final legs. Noe Näff, who was called up on short notice to replace Janik Riebli due to health problems, started his two laps in seventh place.
Medical staff for the Swiss team confirmed that Janik Riebli was sidelined by a severe respiratory infection that prevented him from completing the final pre-race training sessions. This forced the emergency substitution of Näff, who had not been part of the primary relay tactical planning.
As reported by Bluewin, Näff was unable to hold his position, eventually letting rivals from Germany and the Czech Republic pass him, sliding the team down to ninth. Official timing records show Näff lost significant time in the final 2.5 kilometers, where his pace dropped relative to the German anchor.
Klaebo’s Path to Further Records
While the Swiss look to rebuild a roster that has lost key veterans and qualifiers, Norway looks to extend its dominance. Johannes Klaebo remains the focal point of the competition and the clear favorite for the remaining events.
- Wednesday: The team sprint, where Norway is expected to contend for gold against a strong French pairing.
- Saturday: The 50 km mass start race, the ultimate test of endurance and the event where Klaebo seeks to prove his versatility across distances.
Given his current momentum and the gap between Norway and the rest of the field, Klaebo is positioned to further extend his record as the most decorated athlete in the history of the Winter Games. FIS (International Ski Federation) data indicates that Klaebo’s average speed during the final leg of the relay was the highest recorded in the current Olympic cycle.




