Klaebo equals gold record, Jilek makes breakthrough for Czech male skaters

Norway's cross-country skier Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo clinched his third gold at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Friday, and eighth overall, joining an exclusive echelon as the most decorated Olympians, while Metodej Jilek became the first Czech male speed skater to win an Olympic gold with his triumph in the 10,000m, reported Xinhua.

Klaebo won the men's 10km interval start free event with a time of 20 minutes 36.2 seconds, ahead of France's Mathis Desloges (20:41.1) and Norway's Einar Hedegart (20:50.2).

The Norwegian joins three compatriots at the top of the all-time Winter Olympics gold medal tally - former cross-country skiers Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie, along with former biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. With other events still to come at these Games, he has the opportunity to surpass the record outright.

"It means a lot. This is the first time I have won a 10k skiing interval start (including the FIS Cross-Country World Cup or at a championship), so being able to do that here at the Olympics, it's just amazing," Klaebo said after his record-tying win.

In the men's 10,000m speed skating, Olympic debutant Jilek clocked a time of 12 minutes 33.43 seconds to emerge victorious. The 19-year-old had already made his mark at Milan-Cortina just days earlier, securing silver in the 5,000m on Sunday.

Reflecting on making a breakthrough for Czech male skaters, Jilek said, "I knew even before I came to the Olympics that I could do really well in the 10k, that I could win it. It was just a matter of doing the lap times. I've done thousands of these lap times throughout the summer, so I knew what it feels like, what I have to do."

"It was just about dialing it in," he added.

Poland's Vladimir Semirunniy took silver in 12:39.08, while four-time Olympian Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands added a bronze to his medal tally after finishing in 12:40.48.

France's Quentin Fillon Maillet won the men's 10km biathlon sprint, shooting clean and clocking a total time of 22 minutes 53.1 seconds. The triumph marked the fourth Olympic gold medal of Fillon Maillet's career. He had earlier claimed gold in the mixed 4x6km relay alongside his teammates in the opening biathlon event on Sunday.

The Frenchman seized the lead at the 2.9km mark before the first prone shooting, and remained firmly in control thereafter, encountering little resistance across both shooting stages.

"I was feeling good on the skis, confident on the shooting range, and I knew I could be on the podium. And when I realized I shot clean today, I pushed harder as I can expect the victory today," Fillon Maillet noted.

Norway's Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen and Sturla Holm Laegreid finished second and third, respectively.

In snowboarding, Australia's Josie Baff captured gold in the women's cross event, overtaking Switzerland's Noemie Wiedmer and holding off a late charge from Czech rider Eva Adamczykova in the big final.

China's Yongqinglamu and Pang Chuyuan were eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage, but their participation carried significance as it marked the country's first qualification for the event purely on merit under the international points system.

Japan's Yuto Totsuka claimed the men's halfpipe gold, while Australia's five-time Olympian Scotty James came in second again after Beijing 2022.

Also on Friday, Kazakh figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov emerged as a surprise winner in the men's event, which saw American sensation Ilia Malinin come up short in the free skate and drop from first after the short program to eighth overall. Japan's Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato secured silver and bronze respectively.

In the men's skeleton, Britain's Matt Weston broke the track record four times en route to victory with a total time of three minutes 43.33 seconds, followed by Germany's Axel Jungk and Christopher Grotheer on the podium.