[OLYMPICS] How Ben Ogden Became the 2nd American Man Ever to Medal in Cross-Country Skiing

Ben Ogden made history by becoming only the second American man ever to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing when he took silver in the Sprint Classic on Tuesday, February 10. It has taken 50 years and five days for America to claim another Olympic cross-country medal. Coincidentally, Bill Cook Ogden grew up in the same area in Vermont as Bill Cook, who won a silver medal in the 50k at the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

Sprint races go through several rounds of qualifiers. Before battling it out in the finals, skiers have to bring consistent speed and strength through several qualifying rounds, with only the top two skiers automatically qualifying, plus the next two fastest times of the round. Ogden had finished the semifinals in third place and had to wait for the second semifinal to wrap up before it was clear he was in the final—his time had made the cut.

From the start of the sprint qualifiers, Ogden let the field know that he had brought something special. In the quarterfinal, he unleashed a huge surge on the largest climb in the middle of the course, opening up a gap on the rest of the field. The other skiers gained some ground back on the descent and the small climb before the finish, but Ogden kept a sizeable lead all the way across the line.

In his semifinal, Ogden lined up alongside Norwegian Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the best cross country skier in the world right now, who has a decent shot at becoming the most decorated cross-country skier of all time during these games. Klæbo and Ogden went to an early lead, opening up a small gap again on the largest climb. Ogden made a surprise move to take the lead surging over the top of the hill, but Klæbo responded on the downhill, navigating the deep, slushy conditions in the corners with ease. Ogden lost touch with Klæbo, and Finnish Lauri Vuorinen kicked hard to catch up to Ogden in the final sprint, just catching Ogden in a photo finish. Luckily, the hard pace Ogden and Klæbo had set from the beginning meant that Ogden made it through to the final on time.

With several races in his legs, including a few huge moves on the climbs, and a nerve wracking photo finish, Ogden went out again for the final, with favorite Klæbo taking an early lead. Ogden could not maintain the blistering pace Klæbo set on the climbs, and faded to third behind another Norwegian Oskar Vike. Near the top of the final climb, Ogden was able to pull ahead of Vike, and left everything on the final sprint for a definitive silver.

Ogden will return in the 15k race and the 50k mass start.