In a golden masterclass, Norway's Klaebo extends Winter Olympics medal record

TESERO, Italy (AP) — Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo’s golden run at Milan Cortina continued Wednesday as the Norwegian star secured his fifth gold at the Milan Cortina Olympics — and a record 10th overall — in the men’s team sprint. Klaebo beat back a challenge from the United States to improve on his own record tally, racing with Einar Hedegart to win in 18 minutes, 28.9 seconds. Americans Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher were just 1.4 seconds behind for the silver, while Italy's Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino pleased the home crowd and took bronze, 3.3 seconds back.

“It’s obviously very satisfying to make this happen,” the 29-year-old Klaebo said. “The team sprint is one of the most fun events, but also one of the hardest." Klaebo has won every race he has entered at these Games, breaking the Winter Olympics record in Sunday’s 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay. His final race will be in the 50-kilometer mass start at the weekend. “There are so many strong teams and so many fast skiers, so it always comes down to tight battles,” Klaebo added. "That makes it even more rewarding.” The U.S. racers fought hard for an upset, with Schumacher slipping back only on the final hill where Klaebo sealed victory.

“Man, we kept the belief and I knew that Gus was not going to let up until the last second. And therefore I couldn’t let up to the last seconds. So it was pretty incredible,” Ogden said.

Mathis Desloges snapped a pole, in a setback for the strong French team that finished 12th.

In the women's competition, Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist continued Sweden’s winning form.

Switzerland’s Nadja Kaelin and Nadine Faehndrich took silver with Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek of Germany taking the bronze. Norway was edged out to fourth place.

“It is just amazing, so happy and so relieved too,” Dahlqvist said after the Swedes won in 20 minutes, 29.99 seconds. “We have like five, six girls who could do the team sprint today. So we have a really strong team and I’m happy to bring a gold for the whole team.”

Jessie Diggins of the United States pushed the pace early in the race but finished fifth with partner Julia Kern, 11.54 seconds behind Sweden.

During the heats, a dog ran onto the track while the women’s competition took place, running alongside athletes as they crossed the finish line. The incident did not disrupt the racing, and the dog was cheered on by spectators. It later wandered to the finish area, approaching skiers as they completed their runs.

Venue officials said the dog had been taken for a walk by its owner, who lives locally before it escaped into the race course. They had initially thought the incident resulted from a violation of the venue's strict no‑pets policy for spectators.

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

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, right, and Einar Hedegart, of Norway, pose after winning the gold medal in cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Silver medalists Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher, of the United States, gold medalist Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo and Einar Hedegart, of Norway, and bronze medalist Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino, of Italy, pose after the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Maja Dahlqvist, of Sweden, crosses the finish line to win the gold medal, ahead of Nadine Faehndrich, of Switzerland, in the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, center, speaks with teammate Einar Hedegart after winning the gold medal in the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, approaches the finish line to win the gold medal in the cross-country skiing men's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines to choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s post on social media came shortly after the U.S. military seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up a standoff with Tehran over the strait through which 20% of all crude oil and natural gas traded passes.

“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be...that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted. “There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now.”

“I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!” Trump added.

He also said the military is intensifying mine clearing operations in the critical waterway.

The move comes a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards attacked three cargo ships in the strait, capturing two of them.

The Defense Department released video footage earlier on Thursday of U.S. forces on the deck of the Guinea-flagged oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” a Pentagon statement said.

Ship-tracking data showed the Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, roughly the same location as the oil tanker Tifani, earlier seized by American forces. It had been bound for Zhoushan, China.

The vessel previously had been named Phonix and had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude oil in contravention of U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

There was no immediate response from Iran on the news of the seizure.

Trump this week extended a ceasefire to give the battered Iranian leadership more time to come with a “unified proposal” on ending the war, while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.

There was no immediate sign whether peace talks, previously hosted by Pakistan, would resume anytime soon.

Trump, in a separate post on Thursday, claimed a leadership rift between moderates and hardliners was confounding Iran.

“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!” Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly said over the course of the ceasefire that began on April 8 that his team is dealing with Iranian officials who want to make a deal, while acknowledging his decision to kill several top leaders has come with some complications.

Elsewhere on the diplomatic track, Lebanon and Israel were set to hold a second round of talks in Washington to discuss the possibility of extending a truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah started two days after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran, after the Tehran-backed militants fired rockets into northern Israel.

In a new show of fragility of the ceasefire that went into effect Friday in Lebanon, Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli positions in southern Lebanon, targeting Israeli soldiers in the village of Taybeh.

Both sides have accused the other of breaching the 10-day ceasefire.

The standoff between the U.S. and Iran has choked off nearly all exports through the strait with no end in sight.

On Thursday, Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was splattered with red liquid as he left a building after a news conference in Berlin. The alleged perpetrator was immediately detained by police.

During the event, Pahlavi criticized the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, arguing that the agreement assumes the Iranian government’s behavior will change and “you’re going to deal with people who all of a sudden have become pragmatists.”

Pahlavi, 65, has been in exile for nearly 50 years. His father, Iran’s shah, was so widely hated that millions took to the streets in 1979, forcing him from power. Nevertheless, Pahlavi is trying to position himself as a player in his country’s future.

Since the Feb. 28 start of the war between Iran, Israel and the United States, over 30 ships have come under attack in the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

The threat of attack, rising insurance premiums and other fears have stopped traffic from moving through the strait. Iran’s ability to restrict traffic through the strait, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has proved a major strategic advantage.

The ceasefire has been strained by dueling U.S. attacks on Iranian ships and those by Iran on commercial vessels. It also remains unclear when, or if, the two sides will meet again in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, where officials say they are still trying to bring the countries together to reach a diplomatic deal.

The conflict already has sent gas prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products. Officials around the world have warned the impact to businesses, consumers and economies could be long-lasting.

Madhani reported from Washington and Keaten reported from Geneva.

Police officers stand guard at a checkpoint to ensure security in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A ballistic missile is displayed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard during a pro-government demonstration at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Alireza Masoumi/ISNA via AP)

Iran's Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of Shah Reza Pahlavi, reacts after he was attacked with a red fluid following a news conference in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP)

A ballistic missile is displayed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard during a pro-government demonstration at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (Alireza Masoumi/ISNA via AP)

The Jordan flagged cargo ship "Baghdad" sails in Persian Gulf towards Strait of Hormuz in United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)