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By Gavin Kentch
LAGO DI TESERO — Fifty years and five days after a kid from Vermont won an Olympic silver medal, another kid from Vermont did it again. Ben Ogden took second in today’s classic sprint, behind only the inimitable and inevitable Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. He becomes only the second American male cross-country skiing medalist in history, behind Bill Koch and his silver in the 30km at the 1976 Games in Innsbruck.
Ogden’s path to the final was far from assured, as he finished third in his semifinal and had to wait before advancing as a lucky loser. But once he made it there a medal seemed a real possibility, as he and Oskar Opstad Vike joined, of course, Klæbo in a break roughly halfway through the final. Klæbo ultimately pulled away, Ogden never faltered, and the kid who so many times before had been pipped in the finishing stretch crossed the line in an unthreatened second to claim a breakthrough silver.
“I’ve dreamed of being the one to bring home another Olympic medal for the Vermont cross-country ski community,” Ogden said after the race, “and here we are. I mean, it’s just unbelievable. And I can’t wait to see everybody from back home. I think that Vermont is such a place of hardworking and down-to-earth people, and I’m so so proud to represent the same way that Bill Koch did back in the day. So it’s just incredible.”
Head coach Matt Whitcomb has been with the team since 2006, when Ogden was six years old.
Would 2006 Matt Whitcomb have believed that this was going to happen? I asked.
“Yes,” came the immediate reply.
I also asked Whitcomb the What Does This Mean For American Skiing question. Here’s Matt:
“It’s not just Jessie Diggins who can do it. And Jessie will be the first person to tell you that. You know, she’s an incredible person, but she’s not bionic. She’s a human being made out of flesh and blood, just like the rest of us. And you see Ben do that today too, and Julia in 6th [in the women’s final], and JC [in the semis on the men’s side] skiing that way. These are flesh and blood, real people from our communities. And whether they’re from Vermont, Alaska, Idaho, Waltham, Massachusetts, anybody can do it.”
Then Ogden went to the podium ceremony, literally told Klæbo, “hold my medal,” and did a backflip off the podium. He landed it (all photos: Anna Engel; click to enlarge).
We’ll have much more up later tonight on this huge day for American skiing, probably into tomorrow as well tbh. Until then, go have an UnTapped maple syrup gel, knit a sweater, and repair a classic Land Cruiser. And LFG.
Results: live link | official link (will fill in eventually)
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