Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway won gold in the men’s 12.5km pursuit at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday, February 21, 2026, with a stunning performance that saw him hit all 20 targets. His teammate, Sturla Holm Lægreid, secured the silver medal, although France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet took bronze.
Dale-Skjevdal finished more than 10 seconds ahead of Lægreid, claiming his first Olympic medal. The victory marks Norway’s 17th gold medal of the Games, establishing a new record for the most gold medals won at a Winter Olympics. The previous record of 16 gold medals was also held by Norway, achieved at the Beijing Olympics four years prior.
No other nation has reached double-digit gold medal totals at the current Games. Norway has now led the medal count for four consecutive Winter Olympics and remains the all-time leader in Winter Olympics medals, with over 400 total medals. The United States and Germany rank second and third, respectively, in the all-time medal standings.
The Milano Cortina Games also proved significant for Quentin Fillon Maillet, who became the most decorated French Olympian of all time with nine Olympic medals.
Sturla Holm Lægreid, born February 20, 1997, has previously achieved success in biathlon, including a World Cup win in the 20km Individual event during the 2020–2021 season. He is a six-time Biathlon World Champion and the 2024-2025 Biathlon World Cup winner. He also won a gold medal in the 4×7.5km relay at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Lægreid has accumulated 16 individual victories and 34 total victories in World Cup races. He holds five discipline titles: two in Individual (2020–21, 2024–25), two in Pursuit (2020–21, 2024–25), and one in Mass Start (2024–25).
The medal table for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics is available online.
