By Tommy Lund and Liz Hampton
VAL DI FIEMME, Italy, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Johannes Klaebo leads a dominant Norwegian men’s team in his bid for history and Federico Pellegrino carries the host nation’s hopes as the world’s best cross-country skiers gather in the Italian Alps to vie for Olympic medals.
This will be the fourth and final Winter Olympics for Jessie Diggins, the most decorated skier in U.S. history and the woman who helped put the country on the podium in a sport traditionally dominated by Nordic countries.
Norway’s men hold six of the leading 10 spots in the World Cup standings, including the top three. Klaebo again heads the way and arrived in Italy with his sights set on surpassing his compatriot Marit Bjoergen’s record eight gold medals.
Pellegrino, one of the fastest sprinters in the world, and fellow Italian Elia Barp also hold spots in the top 10.
Like Diggins, Pellegrino will be bowing out after Milano Cortina and will be hoping to finally land a gold medal after taking silvers in the individual sprint in 2018 and 2022.
Diggins delivered a landmark gold with Kikkan Randall in the team sprint at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, adding a silver in the 30km freestyle and a bronze in the freestyle sprint in Beijing four years later.
The 34-year-old said she was not putting pressure on herself to end the chapter with a gold medal, instead focusing on racing with the same love for the sport that first drew her to it.
“When I cross every finish line, I want to look back and know without a shadow of a doubt I just gave that everything I had – that was the best that I could do, not just in that race, not just in this year, but in the last 16 years of my career, in my life,” Diggins told a press conference on Thursday.
SCANDINAVIAN RIVALRY
Diggins’ toughest challenger could be Sweden’s Moa Ilar, who sits second in both the overall and distance World Cup standings.
The 28-year-old is enjoying a breakout season and has emerged as a serious force as Sweden once again prepare for an Olympic showdown with neighbours and arch-rivals Norway.
Maja Dahlqvist, who won two silver medals at the 2022 Games, is another powerhouse in the Swedish team.
Norway’s women will be without Therese Johaug, who retired for a second time in 2025 and will not defend her three gold medals from Beijing.
Her absence marks a generational shift for the Norwegian team, which will now be led by Karoline Simpson Larsen and Heidi Weng alongside sprint star Kristine Stavas Skistad.
Cross-country skiing competitions will kick off on February 7, with the women’s skiathlon – an event that combines the classic and freestyle disciplines of the sport.
Overall there will be 12 medal events, six each for men and women, finishing with the 50-kilometre classic race.
Skiers will race at the historic Tesero Cross Country Ski Centre, nestled beside a winding river and beneath slopes that gleam white against the steep mountain walls of the Italian Dolomites.
(Reporting by Liz Hampton and Tommy Lund in Val di Fiemme, Italy, editing by Ed Osmond)
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