TESERO, Italy, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Norway secured gold in the men's 4x7.5km cross-country skiing relay at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Sunday, with star skier Johannes Hosflot Klaebo skiing the anchor leg to seal victory and claim his record ninth Olympic gold medal.

Competing at the Tesero Cross-Country Stadium, the Norwegian quartet clocked 1 hour 4 minutes and 24.5 seconds, finishing 22.2 seconds ahead of second-placed France. Host nation Italy claimed bronze in 1:05:12.4.

A total of 10 teams competed in the event, with each fielding four skiers - the first two racing in the classical technique and the final two in freestyle - and the team crossing the line first declared the winner.

Klaebo, 29, had entered the relay level with Norwegian greats Bjorn Daehlie, Marit Bjorgen and Ole Einar Bjorndalen on eight Olympic gold medals. He had reached that mark earlier in Milan-Cortina with victories in the men's 10km+10km skiathlon, sprint (classical) and sprint (freestyle), bringing his tally to eight before Sunday's triumph.

"That's cool. I've just tried to enjoy the moments today. Being able to do that and take the ninth one with the team is special and it couldn't be a better way to do that," Klaebo said.

"We have a strong team. This is really important for all the waxers and coaches and everyone, including the teammates sitting back at the hotel, who also could have been a part of this team. It's a team win and for me to do that as a ninth one is perfect," he added.

With Norway's relay victory, Klaebo collected his ninth Olympic gold medal, becoming the first athlete in Winter Olympic history to reach that milestone. Before Milan-Cortina, he had won three gold medals at PyeongChang 2018 and two at Beijing 2022, further cementing his status as one of the greatest Winter Olympians of all time.