Norway PM Støre reveals story — borrowed Klæbo's skis in Italy

OSLO / VAL DI FIEMME (HBO Max)

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is in Val di Fiemme to follow the Norwegian athletes at the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Olympics. On Sunday he witnessed a display of dominance from the Norwegian men's relay team: Emil Iversen, Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget, Einar Hedegart and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo skied to a convincing gold in Val di Fiemme.

Støre gave a longer interview to HBO Max on Sunday afternoon. He said the relay felt "so complete" and that, after watching what can happen in relays (referring also to what happened to Ebba Andersson in the women's relay), nobody should be overly optimistic beforehand. "It was warm in the sun, lots of people and a perfectly executed race by the Norwegians. I think every leg was textbook. It was an experience," he said.

The prime minister was present for the men's ski jumping competition on Saturday and for Sunday’s cross‑country relay, and planned to attend the women's large hill event later the same evening. In the interview Støre also revealed that he had managed to go for a ski himself in the Val di Fiemme area.

"We are in a fantastic ski area. There's not much snow down here in Val di Fiemme, but if you drive 20 minutes up into the mountains it's a ski paradise. After the relay the ski people helped me get up there and I got to borrow a pair of skis," he said.

It was not just any skis, Støre added: "Then I realised they were one of Klæbo's ski pairs. I got 12 km at 1,800 metres altitude, so it was a proper tour. And those skis, they were… I just flew past people, honestly."

With the relay gold on Sunday, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo became the most successful Winter Olympian ever, moving clear on nine Olympic gold medals — one more than Marit Bjørgen, Bjørn Dæhlie and Ole Einar Bjørndalen, who each have eight.

Two cross‑country events remain in this championship: the teamsprint on Wednesday and the iconic 50 km that closes the event next weekend. Støre said he spoke with Klæbo about what the 50 km entails: "The 50 km is one of the toughest — I think it includes 2,000 metres of climbs. So it's tough stuff. I won't be out there — I'll watch from the sofa," he said with a smile.

(Watch the full Støre interview in the video player embedded in the original article.)