Klaebo’s Olympic evolution leaves ski competitors in awe of Norwegian star

TESERO, Italy (AP) — Competitors find it hard to fault Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo because he has it all: Technique, tactics, power and speed.

On Tuesday, the Norwegian cross-country skiing phenomenon was unstoppable again as he earned his second Olympic gold medal in his second outing at the Milan Cortina Games, comfortably winning the preliminary rounds and final of the classic sprint.

The 29-year-old is one medal away from the Winter Olympics all-time record tally of eight golds, shared by three retired Norwegian greats of cross-country skiing and biathlon.

A formidable sprinter, Klaebo won five golds, one silver and one bronze at the Winter Olympics in Beijing and Pyeongchang. He has evolved to dominate every aspect of cross-country skiing, winning his first distance race in the skiathlon Sunday.

Added to his explosive finish is his breathtakingly fast hill climb — a brutal run that left other racers far behind on Tuesday in northern Italy.

Klaebo has taken the technical part of the sport to a new level, according to Ole Haldor Ensrud, a Norwegian coach with South Africa’s Olympic team, who spoke to the AP.

“What makes him a bit unique is how flexible he is in his technique. In skiing, unlike running for example, you have to adjust the technique all the time to the different terrains.”

Rival athletes add that his unmatched reserves of energy can be tapped in the late stages.

“I like to go to every race thinking that it’s a race for the win. But these days, a lot of the time it’s a race for second,” U.S. silver medalist Ben Ogden said on Tuesday. “I’m proud to at least win (silver) in that race.”

Klaebo’s skillset was not always so complete. Early in his career, he appeared more vulnerable in longer races. That has changed dramatically thanks to his relentless training and reputation as a meticulous race planner.

His skills were honed on fast roller-ski tracks and through varied training that includes summer stints in the United States at Park City, Utah.

That earned him the ability to switch techniques quickly, maintaining speed while offering few openings for challengers.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Klaebo admitted. “It feels good to be in a place where we kind of know the tracks. We have raced here many times before and I kind of know what I’m capable of doing. We’ve had some really good days so far.”

After blowing away the competition on the final hill on Tuesday, Klaebo eased off and coasted home, smiling and waving to fans that included members of his family, even as Ogden drew dangerously close.

Back in Norway, where skiing is a prime-time sport, praise flooded in.

“What an athlete!” the country’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere, wrote moments after the win in an online post. “Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is virtually unbeatable in the sprint. Congratulations!”

A sporting hero at home, his flowing hair and easy smile are splashed across billboards and TV ads. A feature documentary about his life hit Norwegian cinemas last December.

But Klaebo, a medal away from the history books, is enjoying a moment of calm in Italy.

“I’m just going out there and really enjoying it and it’s amazing,” he said. “Now I’m just trying to enjoy the moments.”

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, poses after winning the gold medal in the cross-country skiing men's sprint classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ben Ogden, of the United States, left, and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, right, compete in the cross-country skiing men's sprint classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in the cross-country skiing men's sprint classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Gold medalist Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, poses on the podium of the cross-country skiing men's sprint classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

President Donald Trump tried to put some teeth into his latest attempt to save college sports.

The threat of cutting funding to cash-starved schools that don’t comply is real, even if the stricter rules that come out of the executive order he signed Friday could take a while to figure out.

In the order signed hours before the women’s Final Four tipped off one of the biggest weekends in college sports Trump went after eligibility rules, transfers and the spiraling costs associated with an industry that now pays its players millions of dollars per year.

He called on federal agencies to ensure schools are following the rules and threatened to choke off federal grants and funding, a similar approach his administration has taken to force universities around the country to alter policies involving diversity, equity and inclusion, transgender rights and even the kinds of classes they offer.

In some ways, forcing those changes might seem like child’s play once college sports figures this out. The NCAA, the newly created College Sports Commission, the four power conferences, dozens more smaller ones and hundreds of educational institutions all have a say here: It’s a big reason Congress, which Trump instructed to act quickly, has been stuck for more than a year on this.

Trump’s order was his second since one last July and it was a laundry list of proposed fixes, many of which lawmakers and college leaders have been pushing for since the approval of a $2.8 billion settlement changed the face of games that were once played by pure amateurs.

He called for “clear, consistent and fair eligibility limits, including a five-year participation window," and wants to limit athletes to one transfer with one more available once they get a four-year degree.

At a college sports roundtable last month, Trump said he anticipated any order he signed would trigger litigation. Athletes have largely won the freedom to transfer almost at will via the portal along with the ability to be paid by schools that are now doling out more than $20 million a year to their athletes.

As much as the changes he directs, Trump’s call for the Education Department, the Federal Trade Commission and the attorney general’s office to evaluate “whether violations of such rules render a university unfit for Federal grants and contracts” stands out as a way to force change.

Several universities across the country have made policy changes to comply with federal orders and avoid funding-related showdowns with the government. Yet big-named schools like Penn State and Florida State are facing huge debts.

“I haven’t read it, obviously, but I certainly appreciate his interest in the issue," NCAA President Charlie Baker said at the women's Final Four in Phoenix. "And from what I saw, some of the social media traffic, it’s pretty clear that he made clear that we need congressional action to sort of seal the deal on a number of these things, which is good, because we do.”

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips praised the president's order, saying “there continues to be significant momentum to preserve the athletic and academic opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes and we appreciate the ongoing efforts.”

Attorney Mit Winter, who follows college sports law, said the order is likely to set up a situation where the NCAA and schools have to decide whether to follow a federal court order or an executive order.

“Federal court orders prohibit the NCAA from making athletes sit out a season if they transfer more than once and prohibit the NCAA from enforcing rules that limit collectives from being involved in recruiting,” he said. "The EO appears to direct the NCAA to create rules that would likely violate both of these court orders. Will the NCAA create rules that do that? And if they do, will schools follow them?

"Either way, we’re likely going to see litigation challenging the EO by athletes and third parties.”

Winter added that the order also appears to urge schools to pay new revenue share amounts.

“Most schools are paying 90-95% of their rev-share funds to men's basketball and football players,” he said. "And those funds are already promised via contracts signed with those athletes. Will the order purport to make schools not adhere to those contracts?”

AP Sports Writers Maura Carey, David Brandt and Eric Olson contributed.

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President Donald Trump pauses as he finishes speaking about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)