2026 Olympics | Cross-country skiing: the Americans are the only team to beat the Norwegians in the sprint skate team event
This Wednesday, in Tesero (Italy), the cross-country skiers took part in the team sprint event of the Milan/Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. However, the Norwegian team, led by the young Einar Hedegart and above all the legend Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo, did not outclass the competition as the prognosticators might have predicted.
In a slow and even race, the fifteen teams were still in the same pack before the last two laps. With a big smile on his face, Ben Ogden launched Gus Schumacher into second place, just one second behind the Hedegart/Klæbo duo.
We never gave up,” the individual sprint silver medallist toldEurosport. The race was difficult, chaotic at times, but we always believed. I knew that Gus [Schumacher] would fight to the last second, so I hung in there.
The sprinters then let their horses loose in the final loop in a bid for a medal. Just when everyone thought the king of cross-country skiing was untouchable, Schumacher caught up with him at the start of the final climb. I’m not sure I really followed [Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo], but I did my best,” he said with a smile in the mixed zone. There’s always the same problem, the guy in front of us. I did my last lap as if it was a qualifier, skiing at my best the whole time. I’m very proud of the result.
“We had more staff than athletes here. This is our way of thanking them for their commitment”.Gus Schumacher
Unfortunately for the Americans, a strong recovery by the Scandinavian enabled him to keep his lead over the 25-year-old skier who had broken away from the other Italian, Swiss and Swedish favourites. At the bottom of the descent, Hedegart’s team-mate turned around to savour the final straight. In the end, he waited until the last few metres to celebrate, as the US team came back at high speed.
The 51-star flag was therefore second behind the big favourites Norway by just 1 sec 5 and ahead of the Italians in third place. A podium that delighted Ben Ogden. “It’s really amazing. We’ve been waiting for this for years. I’m from Vermont, he’s from Alaska: the whole country is represented, from East to West. We’ve shown that it can be done.
A reward for the athletes and the staff, as Gus Schumacher explains: “We had more staff here than athletes. That put us in ideal conditions. This is our way of thanking them for their commitment.
