OLYMPICS: Crosscountry-Norway's Klaebo wins gold medal in men's skiathlon

Norway's Johannes Klaebo tore away from the pack in a powerful finish to win the men's skiathlon at the Milano Cortina Games on Sunday and claim his sixth Olympic gold medal.

France's Mathis Desloges took the silver while Norway's Martin Nyenget won bronze after 10km of classic and 10km of freestyle cross-country skiing.

Desloges kept hold of his silver medal despite lengthy jury deliberations after he received a yellow card for cutting across a course marker while rounding a curve in the stadium. The move helped him gain several metres around the 13-km mark.

Klaebo traded leads with a tight pack dominated by French skiers and fellow Norwegians through much of the race. He broke away near the end in a dramatic finish up the final hill, with time to wave at the cheering crowd before crossing the line.

The win kept 29-year-old Klaebo on course to pass compatriot Marit Bjoergen’s record of eight Olympic golds in the sport.

"I’m going to take one race at a time and then we’ll see. But it’s a pretty good start and with the weather and the crowds it was amazing out there," said Klaebo.

While the Norwegiancruised across the finish line, Desloges and Nyenget battled it out for second place, with the Frenchman edging out his competitor by half a ski length.

-Reporting by Liz Hampton and Tommy Lund in Tesero, Italy; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters