The 25-Year-Old Skier Earned Team USA Its First Medal In The Cross-Country Discipline At The 2026 Winter Olympics
At the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, the United States has already won 12 medals as of Feb. 11.
Going into some events, like Team Figure Skating, there was certainly a chance that Team USA would place for a medal (which it did, earning gold).
One of its most surprising victories, however, came on Feb. 10, as Ben Ogden won silver in the cross-country skiing event of Men’s Sprint Classic.
At 25 years old, Ogden’s win comes as the last time the United States medaled in cross-country skiing was twice the length of his life ago…
Back 50 years ago, at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, 20-year-old Bill Koch won silver in the 30 km event.
It just so happens that Ogden grew up skiing in the Bill Koch Youth Ski League in Vermont, and Ogden has skied with Koch on a few occasions.
Speaking on the influence of Koch, Ogden said, as quoted by NPR:
“I know Bill, his medal gave a big boost to all the young skiers and all the people who dreamed the U.S. could be a champion cross country ski nation. I hope this will help propel us into the next 50 years.”
Commenting on his 2nd place victory — which was the result of him finishing the sprint in three minutes and 40 seconds — Ogden said, “It was so, so awesome. I couldn’t be more thrilled to accomplish this goal.”
At the podium for the presentation of the medals, Ogden stood beside Johannes Klaebo of Norway, who won gold; and Oskar Vike of Norway, who won bronze.
Ogden then handed his medal to Klaebo, and proceeded to do a backflip off the podium (his backflip can be viewed in the second video, below).
Of this feat, Ogden said, “I promised my 15 year old self I would do that if I was ever on an Olympic podium. I got up there and I was like, well, now is the moment.”
Watch Ogden’s silver-medal-winning cross-country ski sprint, here:
Watch Ben Ogden’s backflip off the medal podium, here:
Team USA Olympic Medal Tally
The Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games will end on Feb. 22, but, as of Feb. 11, here are the medals that Team USA has won so far:
- Alpine Skiing – Men’s Super-G – Ryan Cochran-Siegle (silver);
- Alpine Skiing – Women’s Downhill – Breezy Johnson (gold);
- Alpine Skiing – Women’s Team Combined – Paula Moltzan and Jacqueline Wiles (bronze);
- Cross-Country Skiing – Men’s Sprint Classic – Ben Ogden (silver);
- Curling – Mixed Doubles – Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse (silver);
- Figure Skating – Team Event – Team USA (gold);
- Figure Skating – Ice Dance – Madison Chock and Evan Bates (silver);
- Freestyle Skiing – Men’s Freeski Slopestyle – Alex Hall (silver);
- Freestyle Skiing – Women’s Moguls – Elizabeth Lemley (gold);
- Freestyle Skiing – Women’s Moguls – Jaelin Kauf (silver);
- Luge – Women’s Singles Luge – Ashley Farquharson (bronze); and
- Speed Skating – Men’s 1,000m – Jordan Stolz (gold).
Take a look back at Bill Koch, who is now 70, in this 1976 documentary short on his cross-country exploits, here:
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