On a crisp winter day in Tesero, Italy, history was rewritten for U.S. men's cross-country skiing. Ben Ogden, a 25-year-old Vermonter with a legacy intertwined with the sport’s American roots, powered his way to a silver medal in the men’s sprint classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics on February 10. The feat, accomplished with a time of 3:40.61, ended a 50-year medal drought for U.S. men in the discipline and set the stage for a new era in American cross-country skiing.
Ogden’s silver marks only the second time in Olympic history that an American man has stood on the cross-country podium. The last—and until now, the only—was Bill Koch’s silver in the 30km event at the 1976 Innsbruck Games. The connection runs deeper than mere coincidence: Ogden grew up skiing in the Bill Koch Youth Ski League and often trained on trails that wound through Koch’s own Vermont property. As Ogden’s mother, Andrea, put it, “Ben used to ski in Bill Koch’s backyard. It feels surreal.”
“It’s an unbelievable dream come true,” Ogden said, still catching his breath after the race. “Everybody who races dreams of being on an Olympic podium. It’s the ultimate goal, and I feel like this last year, I’ve dared to set my expectations on an Olympic podium.” According to NPR, Ogden added, “I couldn’t be more thrilled to accomplish this goal.”
Norwegian legend Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, widely regarded as the sport’s most dominant force, claimed gold with a blistering 3:39.74, his second straight gold of these Games and seventh overall. Norway’s Oskar Opstad Vike took bronze, finishing with a time of 3:46.55. Klæbo’s performance continues his reign over men’s cross-country, but Ogden’s breakthrough was the story drawing the most attention stateside.
Ogden’s journey to the podium was anything but straightforward. He started the day by posting the second-fastest qualifying time, just behind Klæbo. In the quarterfinals, Ogden surged ahead on the final climb, securing a convincing win. The semifinals brought drama: Ogden finished third in his heat, narrowly missing an automatic berth in the final, but advanced as a “lucky loser” thanks to his swift time. “As fun as it is to just go crazy in the qualifier in the quarterfinal, at some point you gotta start putting your sights on the podium,” Ogden reflected, as reported by The Athletic.
Once in the final, Ogden’s tactical acumen shone through. He kept pace with the leaders, conserving energy for the decisive moments. As the pack hit the final climb, Klæbo surged ahead, but Ogden held off the rest of the field, crossing the line less than a second behind the Norwegian great. “I looked around ... and it was just the three of us,” Ogden told NPR, describing the realization that he was about to make history.
The celebration was as memorable as the race itself. Fulfilling a promise he made to his 15-year-old self, Ogden performed a backflip off the Olympic podium. “Sometimes in life you have to satisfy your 15-year-old self,” he joked. The move brought cheers from teammates and fans alike, symbolizing both joy and a new confidence for American cross-country skiing.
Ogden’s Olympic journey has been a story of steady progress. In his first Games at Beijing 2022, he finished 12th in the sprint, marking the best-ever result for a U.S. man in the event at that time. He also finished ninth in the team sprint and 42nd in the 15km individual. Since then, Ogden has notched multiple World Cup podiums, including a third place in a sprint during the 2023 Tour de Ski and another in a 10km race in France. Just last month, he added a third podium in a team event in Switzerland. “Earlier in my career, I would burn too many matches in earlier rounds,” Ogden explained. “At some point, you’re just like, all right. I gotta pace myself a little bit here.”
Ogden’s performance is not only a personal triumph but also a milestone for the U.S. men’s cross-country program. For decades, the women’s team—led by stars like Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall—has outshone the men, with Diggins and Randall winning the country’s first-ever cross-country gold in 2018. Since then, American women have added more medals, but the men’s side had struggled to keep up. That narrative may now be changing.
Chris Grover, program director for the U.S. cross-country ski team, pointed to a new wave of American talent, including Ogden, J.C. Schoonmacher (eighth on Tuesday), and Gus Schumacher (31st). “Seven years ago, our development coach told us, ‘There is a very good group of young men coming, and they’re going to be extremely good,’” Grover told The Athletic. “And now they’re here.”
The significance of Ogden’s medal is not lost on the U.S. skiing community. Bill Koch’s 1976 silver inspired generations of American skiers, and Ogden hopes his own achievement will do the same. “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,” Ogden said to NPR. “I’ve been thinking about Bill a lot.”
While Ogden’s silver was the headline, there was more U.S. action on the snow. Julia Kern finished sixth in the women’s sprint classic final, while Jessie Diggins, a 2022 bronze medalist, failed to advance out of the quarterfinals this time around. On the men’s side, the next event—the 10km interval start freestyle—will take place on February 13, offering another chance for Team USA to build on this momentum.
As the Olympic torch burns in Italy, Ben Ogden’s silver medal stands as a beacon for American cross-country skiing. After half a century in the wilderness, U.S. men have not just returned to the podium—they’ve done it with style, grit, and a backflip for the ages.