Team USA's Ben Ogden Celebrates Olympic Silver with Backflip

The 25-year-old American skier's podium celebration marks a breakthrough for U.S. cross-country skiing.

Feb. 11, 2026 at 11:23pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Ben Ogden, a 25-year-old American cross-country skier, won a silver medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. After the race, Ogden celebrated on the podium by taking a selfie, handing off his medal and mascots, and then launching into an unexpected backflip. Ogden's performance marks the first American men's Olympic medal in cross-country skiing in 50 years, and he hopes it will inspire more young Americans to take up the sport.

Why it matters

Ogden's silver medal is a significant milestone for American cross-country skiing, which has struggled to produce Olympic medalists in recent decades. His success, and the excitement it has generated back home in Vermont, could help grow interest and participation in the sport across the United States.

The details

Ogden finished 0.8 seconds behind Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, the Norwegian star who claimed his second gold medal of the games. As Klaebo sprinted up the final hill, Ogden broke from the other competitors and unleashed a powerful finishing kick to secure the silver. Ogden's backflip celebration was an impulsive move, as he had wanted to learn how to do a backflip since he was young.

  • On Tuesday, Ogden won the silver medal in the skiathlon event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.
  • The last U.S. Olympic medal in men's cross-country skiing was a silver by Bill Koch at the 1976 Innsbruck Games.

The players

Ben Ogden

A 25-year-old American cross-country skier who won a silver medal at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, marking the first American men's Olympic medal in the sport in 50 years.

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo

A Norwegian cross-country skiing star who won the gold medal in the skiathlon event at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, defeating Ogden.

Bill Koch

The last American man to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing, earning a silver at the 1976 Innsbruck Games.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“There's been a really strong group of younger men coming up through the sport that I've had the pleasure of racing against for my whole life. I've seen it many times throughout the course of our careers. It just takes one of us to crack through to that next level. And then all of a sudden, it's like an onslaught of teammates following.”

— Ben Ogden

“I just powered over the finish line and ended up getting sort of close to Johannes. But he won outright, and he had the gas on the hill that nobody else had.”

— Ben Ogden

What’s next

Ogden hopes that his silver medal and the excitement it has generated back home in Vermont will help grow interest and participation in cross-country skiing across the United States. The U.S. will host the final World Cup event of the season at Lake Placid, New York, which Ogden sees as an opportunity to further energize American fans.

The takeaway

Ogden's breakthrough performance marks a significant milestone for American cross-country skiing, ending a 50-year drought of Olympic medals for U.S. men in the sport. His success, and the celebratory backflip on the podium, has the potential to inspire a new generation of American skiers and help grow the sport's popularity nationwide.