In a historic display of winter sports dominance, Norway has officially broken the all-time record for the most gold medals won by a single nation at a Winter Olympics.
Milano Cortina Games, biathlete Johannes Dale-Skjevdal secured Norway’s 17th gold medal with a flawless performance in the Men’s 15km Mass Start. This victory pushed the Scandinavian nation past the previous record of 16 golds, which Norway itself had set four years earlier at the 2022 Beijing Games.
The milestone was reached in dramatic fashion at the Anterselva biathlon arena. Dale-Skjevdal shot a perfect 20-for-20, navigating gusty winds and heavy snow to finish 10.5 seconds ahead of his teammate, Sturla Holm Laegreid, who took the silver.
“It’s quite a good ending to my first Olympics… I can’t find the words, but it’s just amazing,” said a jubilant Dale-Skjevdal after sealing the 17th gold.
The Norwegian team has been unstoppable throughout the Games, led by cross-country legend Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who has contributed five golds to the tally and reached a career total of 10 Olympic gold medals.
| Olympic Games | Nation | Gold Medals |
| Milano Cortina 2026 | Norway | 17 |
| Beijing 2022 | Norway | 16 |
| Pyeongchang 2018 | Norway / Germany | 14 |
| Vancouver 2010 | Canada | 14 |
Norway currently sits comfortably at the top of the overall medal table, far ahead of the nearest competitors.
- Total Medals: 37
- Gold: 17
- Silver: 10
- Bronze: 10
Experts point to Norway’s deep-rooted “Skiing Culture” and its unique approach to youth sports, which prioritizes participation and long-term development over early competition. With nearly a quarter of the population active in long-distance skiing, the nation continues to “punch above its weight” against much larger countries like the United States and Germany.
