Ben Ogden has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first American male in 50 years to secure an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing for Team USA.
The 25-year-old athlete earned a silver medal on Tuesday, February 10, in the men’s sprint classical race, with a time of 3:40:61.
The US Ski Team highlighted that Ogden’s accomplishment marks the first Olympic medal in cross-country skiing for an American man since Bill Koch’s victory at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics.
With this win, Team USA’s total medal count has risen to five.
Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo claimed the gold medal, finishing just 0.8 seconds ahead of Ogden, while fellow Norwegian Oskar Opstad Vike secured the bronze with a time of 3:46.55.
Hailing from Landgrove, Vermont, Ogden made his Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games, achieving twelfth place in the individual sprint, which was the best result for US men’s sprint at that time.
Ogden was introduced to skiing at an early age, with his father, John Ogden, a former Middlebury College cross-country skier, leading a local youth ski league.
He gained international attention by contributing to the US men’s team’s first-ever medals at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships relay, securing a silver in 2018 and a gold in 2019.
Ogden also competed for the University of Vermont, where he became a multi-time NCAA Nordic champion, and completed his degree in mechanical engineering.
More details to come.