There was never any doubt when Klæbo decided Saturday's 5000m in Val di Fiemme. Countryman Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget couldn't shake Klæbo, and when they got to the last hill, the ski king pulled away as usual.
The 5000m gold medal was his twelfth (!) consecutive championship title at the World Championships and Olympics. The streak was broken shortly after by cold symptoms following the sprint relay on Wednesday.
"It's been a couple of tough days. If there had been a race yesterday, I'm not sure I would have been on the starting line," Klæbo tells the waiting press corps in Val di Fiemme.
"He has everything"
Everyone wants to interview the skiing king, who politely stops to speak to everyone. The international attention is great around all his Olympic gold medals - and he likes that.
"First of all, I'm very happy for the sport of cross-country skiing that there's such interest in it. Nothing is better than that," says Klæbo modestly.
He is widely praised by everyone, even his competitors.
"He has everything, it feels like. He's a little better at everything," notes Calle Halfvarsson.
"What Johannes does on his best days is the best we have seen. If you compare it to athletics, not many people win the 100 meters and 10,000 meters. He competes in everything from three-minute sprints all the way up to two-hour races. It is impressive that he is so complete," says Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget.
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Does he beat Phelps?
Klæbo is the best ever at the Winter Olympics with eleven golds - and is second overall if you include the Summer Games.
If he is to catch up with American swimming phenomenon Michael Phelps, who has 23 gold medals, he will have to keep going for at least two more Games.
Even Klæbo doesn't seem to believe it's possible.
"In that case, I'll probably have to keep going until 2038, and then I'll probably be old and gray," the ski king laughs.
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"I plan for 2030, but he will remain at the top alone," Klæbo says.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (born 1996) is the most successful Winter Olympian to date with eleven golds, one silver and one bronze:
2018 Olympics: gold in sprint, sprint relay and 4x10 km relay
2022 Olympics: gold in sprint and sprint relay, silver in 4x10 km relay, bronze in 15 km classic
2026 Olympics: gold in skiathlon, sprint, 10 km freestyle, 4x7.5 km relay, sprint relay and 50 km classic
In addition, Klæbo has won 15 golds, two silvers and one bronze in the World Championships.
