Klaebo’s Journey to Olympic Glory Amid Pressure and Hobbies

Arriving in the picturesque Dolomites, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo faced immense expectations as a celebrated Norwegian cross-country skiing star. Nicknamed “King,” Klaebo had accumulated five Olympic gold medals, just three away from the all-time record, and held reigning titles in all six of cross-country skiing’s world championship events.

In Tesero, a mountain town hosting the cross-country competitions during this month’s Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Klaebo set his sights on an extraordinary goal — winning six gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. To alleviate the weight of these expectations and maintain a sense of routine during his extensive travel of over 250 days a year, Klaebo turns to video games, particularly the first-person shooter “Battlefield,” as a method of relaxation.

“A great way to switch your mind off,” Klaebo shared.

At 29, Klaebo travels with a portable screen and console securely packed in his belongings. This setup allows him to balance the intense concentration required to achieve success with the relaxation necessary for recovery.

“I need the nerves to be able to perform at my highest level, and in the evenings, I just try to play a little bit (online) with my friends back home and talk about different things than skiing,” he explained. “And I feel like that helps.”

However, upon arriving in Tesero, Klaebo encountered difficulty with his essential decompression routine due to struggles with setting up his PlayStation, hindered by fickle Wi-Fi connectivity.

“The conclusion was that the internet was a bit too weak,” Klaebo conceded last week. “Now we have put Italy to work here and we will see if someone comes and fixes it. In the worst case, someone turns up and cables up my internet. Then the Olympics are saved. I depend on it completely, so I am willing to pay a lot to get it sorted.”

Endurance sports like cross-country skiing train athletes to endure harsh conditions, yet the absence of his decompression routine proved too significant a challenge. Klaebo is not alone in finding solace in gaming during the Olympics; Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, a Norwegian biathlete, mentioned engaging in “Battlefield” matches against French competitors during the event.

“I’m taking lives in the virtual world,” he admitted. “Since I’m not that good, I don’t take that many lives, but I’m trying. In my first room, the internet was bad, so I took Arild (Monsen, a former cross-country skier)’s room and it was a little better.”

He added, “If you’re worrying about me staying up late at night, you don’t have to. Yesterday I was up until (9:15), although that was due to the poor internet too. I’m getting my hours in bed.”

As expected, nothing has impeded Klaebo’s success as he secured a gold medal in Sunday’s skiathlon followed by another in Tuesday’s sprint classic final, sprinting uphill on skis at an impressive pace comparable to a six-minute mile. With one additional victory, he will tie the all-time record for Winter Olympics gold medals alongside three legendary Norwegians in cross-country skiing and biathlon.

On clinching his seventh career gold medal Sunday, Klaebo reflected, “I guess I will celebrate with some evening games.”