Klaebo extends Olympic gold record to 10 as Norway, Sweden take team sprint titles

TESERO, Italy, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo extended his Olympic gold medal record to 10 as Norway secured the men's team sprint title at Milan-Cortina on Wednesday, while Sweden claimed the women's title.

Led by nine-time Olympic champion Klaebo, Norway clinched the men's gold in 18 minutes 28.98 seconds, marking Klaebo's fifth gold at these Games. The United States finished 1.37 seconds behind to take silver, while host nation Italy secured bronze in 18:32.29.

"It's pretty unreal. I feel like everything has worked out very well now. My shape is good, and I'm still motivated to do well in the races. I sleep a little bit better now than I did the first week here, but it feels amazing," Klaebo said afterward.

China's men's duo Wang Qiang and Li Minglin were eliminated in the qualification stage.

In the women's final, Sweden clocked 20:29.99 to win gold. Switzerland trailed by 1.40 seconds for silver, and Germany took bronze in 20:35.86.

Sweden's Jonna Sundling said: "It was really important, because Maja and I did this event at Beijing 2022 and were second, so to win this race was incredible. It felt really nice and safe to be skiing with Maja. It was really fun."

"It's something I've really been dreaming about. To be able to finish these Olympic Games with a gold medal, with Jonna, is huge," added Sundling's teammate Maja Dahlqvist.

China's women's pair Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Chi Chunxue advanced to the final after a strong semifinal performance and eventually placed 15th.

The cross-country skiing competition continues on Saturday with the men's 50 km mass start classical race. ■