Cross-country skiing: the image that goes round the world
In Tesero (Italy), Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo didn’t just win another Olympic gold medal: he provided an image that could well go down in the history of these Games. During the final of the men’s classic sprint, the 29-year-old Norwegian quite simply left his rivals in the dust on the last climb, unleashing an acceleration of rare power that quickly made the rounds on social networks.
❄️ #MilanoCortina2026 | 🇳🇴🤯 WHAT AN EFFORT FROM JOHANNES KLAEBO!
📺 Follow the Olympic Games on the France Télévisions sports channel: https: //t.co/2YyyGIAfdo pic.twitter.com/gzI2wCcfOz– francetvsport (@francetvsport) February 10, 2026
The video posted by NBC Olympics on X has attracted over 13 million views and prompted a wave of reactions, a mixture of admiration, mockery and comparisons with feats in other sports or everyday situations.
“Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo’s pace – the equivalent of running a mile in less than six minutes, uphill and on skis – is the most impressive snow-covered mountain sprint since Rocky outwitted his Soviet trainers before taking on Ivan Drago”, for example, was how X put it.
Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo’s sub-6 minute mile pace running uphill on skis is the most impressive snowy mountain sprint since Rocky shook his Soviet handlers before fighting Ivan Drago https://t.co/ymOaupF03F pic.twitter.com/FoC4rMcp2N– Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) February 11, 2026
“A pace equivalent to running a mile in less than six minutes… uphill and on skis” [which is equivalent to more than 16 km/h], was the headline on one of the posts, while other Internet users did not hesitate to compare him to a racehorse.
American Ben Ogden, silver medallist, said that the seven-time Olympic champion gave the impression of racing in “a totally different sport”, as his acceleration seemed out of the ordinary.
Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo now has more than 500,000 subscribers, proof of a popularity that extends well beyond the Scandinavian borders.
“I’ve noticed a lot of activity on my social networks and a significant increase in the number of subscribers,” he told NRK.
The international interest is particularly visible in the United States. Search data shows a marked increase in Google queries about the Trøndelag-born cross-country skier over the last few days, a sign that his viral acceleration has reached an audience well beyond the usual circle of cross-country skiers.
Even the French embassy in the United States broadcast the famous video with the caption: “Two things are iconic: 250 years of Franco-American friendship and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo running up this climb”.
Two things that are iconic: 250 years of 🇫🇷🇺🇸 friendship and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo running up that hill pic.twitter.com/yhpFiFj2Pa– Embassy of France in the U.S. (@franceintheus) February 11, 2026
Even foreign accounts, unfamiliar with Nordic skiing, relayed the sequence, fascinated by the intensity of the effort. Some saw it as “the most impressive cardio of the Games”, while others spoke of “a scene worthy of a video game”. It is rare for cross-country skiing events to cross the boundaries of their traditional audience in this way.
