The 2018 Winter Olympic Games Have Begun!
see schedule for Cross Country Skiing events
- Feb 10, 02:15 - 03:20 EST - Women's 7.5 km + 7.5 km Skiathlon
- Feb 11, 01:15 - 03:10 EST - Men's 15 km + 15 km Skiathlon
- Feb 13, 03:30 - 04:45 and Feb 13, 06:00 - 08:00 EST - M/W Individual Sprint Classic
- Feb 15, 01:30 - 03:15 EST - Women's 10 km Free
- Feb 16, 01:00 - 02:50 EST - Men's 15 km Free
- Feb 17, 04:30 - 05:45 EST - Women's 4 x 5 km Relay
- Feb 18, 01:15 - 03:10 EST - Men's 4 x 10 km Relay
- Feb 21, 03:00 - 04:30 and Feb 21, 05:00 - 06:20 EST - M/W Team Sprint Free
- Feb 24, 00:00 - 03:05 EST - Men's 50 km Mass Start Classic
Cross Country Skiing Events
Medal Predictions for 2018 Winter Olympic Games - Cross Country Skiing
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Norway ![]() | 7 | 8 | 3 | 18 |
Sweden ![]() | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
Italy ![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
France ![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Canada ![]() | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
The oldest type of skiing, cross country was developed as way to travel long distances in snowy terrain at the end of the 19th century. The sport has traditionally been dominated by the Nordic countries. Norway’s Bjørn Dæhlie is the most successful cross-country skier in history with 12 Olympic medals. Athletes use two techniques: classical (also called kick-and-glide) and freestyle (aka skating style).
All-time Top Nations in Cross Country Skiing
Norway
»Sweden
»Soviet Union
»Finland
»Russia
»
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Norway ![]() | 40 | 38 | 29 | 107 |
Sweden ![]() | 29 | 22 | 23 | 74 |
Soviet Union ![]() | 25 | 22 | 21 | 68 |
Finland ![]() | 20 | 24 | 32 | 76 |
Russia ![]() | 13 | 7 | 9 | 29 |
All-time Top Male Athletes in Cross Country Skiing
Bjørn Dæhlie
»Thomas Alsgaard
»Sixten Jernberg
»Gunde Sven
»Nikolay Zimyatov
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway ![]() | 8 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
Thomas Alsgaard | Norway ![]() | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Sixten Jernberg | Sweden ![]() | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
Gunde Sven | Sweden ![]() | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Nikolay Zimyatov | Soviet Union ![]() | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
All-time Top Female Athletes in Cross Country SKiing
Marit Bjørgen
»Lyubov Yegorova
»Larisa Lazutina
»Raisa Smetanina
»Galina Kulakova
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marit Bjørgen | Norway ![]() | 6 | 3 | 1 | 10 |
Lyubov Yegorova | Russia ![]() | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Larisa Lazutina | Unified Team/Russia ![]() ![]() | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Raisa Smetanina | Soviet Union/Unified Team ![]() ![]() | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
Galina Kulakova | Soviet Union ![]() | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
Individual
Skiers leave the starting gate one at a time, every 30 seconds. Though skiers may pass one another during the race, medalists are determined by clocked individual times. Men race 15 km while women race 10 km.
All-time Top Nations in Freestyle
Soviet Union
»Sweden
»Norway
»
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Soviet Union ![]() | 8 | 8 | 5 | 21 |
Sweden ![]() | 8 | 6 | 5 | 19 |
Norway ![]() | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 |
All-time Top Male Athletes in Freestyle (15 km)
Andrus Veerpalu
»Dario Cologna
»Hallgeir Brenden
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Andrus Veerpalu | Estonia ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Dario Cologna | Switzerland ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Hallgeir Brenden | Norway ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
All-time Top Female Athletes in Freestyle (10 km)
Raisa Smetanina
»Lyubov Kozyreva
»Charlotte Kalla
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raisa Smetanina | Soviet Union ![]() | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Lyubov Kozyreva | Soviet Union ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Charlotte Kalla | Sweden ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
All-time Top Nations in Classical
Norway
»Sweden
»Finland
»
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Norway ![]() | 8 | 5 | 8 | 21 |
Sweden ![]() | 7 | 6 | 5 | 18 |
Finland ![]() | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
All-time Top Male Athletes in Classical (50 km)
Bjørn Dæhlie
»Sixten Jernberg
»Veikko Hakulinen
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Sixten Jernberg | Sweden ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Veikko Hakulinen | Finland ![]() | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
All-time Top Female Athletes in Classical (30 km)
Stefania Belmondo
»Yuliya Chepalova
»Marit Bjørgen
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stefania Belmondo | Italy ![]() | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Yuliya Chepalova | Russia ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Marit Bjørgen | Norway ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Skiathlon
One of the most physically exhausting events, the skiathlon features athletes completing back-to-back races — two 15-km runs for men, two 7.5-km runs for women — using a different technique on each race.
All-time Top Nations in Skiathlon
Norway
»Russia
»Sweden
»
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Norway ![]() | 7 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
Russia ![]() | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Sweden ![]() | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
All-time Top Male Athletes in Skiathlon
Bjørn Dæhlie
»Thomas Alsgaard
»Marcus Hellner
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway ![]() | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Thomas Alsgaard | Norway ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Marcus Hellner | Sweden ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
All-time Top Female Athletes in Skiathlon
Marit Bjørgen
»Lyubov Yegorova
»Kristina Å migun
»
Athlete | Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marit Bjørgen | Norway ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Lyubov Yegorova | Unified Team/Russia ![]() ![]() | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Kristina Å migun | Estonia ![]() | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Sprint
Added to the Olympic Games in 2002, the sprint even breaks down into a qualification race, quarterfinals, semifinals and final heat. Mens race 1.8 km while women race 1.3 km, both using the classical technique.
All-time Top Nations in Sprint
Norway
»Russia
»Sweden
»
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Norway ![]() | 4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
Russia ![]() | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Sweden ![]() | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Team Sprint
Teams of two alternate laps for a total of six laps. The start-and-stop nature event is physically gruelling, as athletes need to stay loose and ready to race while their teammate completes his or her respective lap.
All-time Top Nations in Team Sprint
Sweden
»Norway
»Germany
»
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sweden ![]() | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Norway ![]() | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Germany ![]() | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Relay
Athletes compose a four-skier team, with each member racing a quarter of the course, 10km for each man and 5 km for each woman. The first two legs of the race require classical technique while the final two are raced using freestyle, requiring teams to carefully set their team lineup.
All-time Top Nations in Relay
Soviet Union
»Norway
»Russia
»
Nation | Gold ![]() | Silver ![]() | Bronze ![]() | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Soviet Union ![]() | 8 | 6 | 2 | 16 |
Norway ![]() | 6 | 10 | 4 | 20 |
Russia ![]() | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Cross Country Skiing Athletes to Watch


Participating in his first Olympics, he's expected to win two individual gold medals in Sprint and Skiathlon this year.
Photo: By Cephas - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link


With four medals in two Olympics appearences, he is expected to win his first individual gold in 50 km event and a silver medal in Skiathlon this year.
Photo: By Iso76 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link


Having won one Bronze in 2014 Winter Olympics, she's expected to win three individual silver medals this year.
Photo: By Trine Hisdal - This file has been extracted from another file: Heidi Weng 2015-05-22 001.tiff, CC BY 3.0, Link


With one silver from two olympic appearences, she's expected to win two individual bronze medals this year.
Photo: By Bjoertvedt - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link