Thomas Maloney Westgaard finished an impressive 23rd in the men's 50km cross-country skiing at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics as Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo completed the clean sweep to take his sixth gold of the 2026 Games.
Klaebo finished the line in a time of 2:07.07.1, breaking free of fellow Norwegian Martin Loewstroem Nyenget who finished 17.5 seconds behind at the Tesero Cross Country Stadium.
The podium was set to be red, white and blue as Norway’s Emil Iversen took bronze in a race that saw 57 finish from a field of 65.
Maloney Westgaard, competing in his third Olympics, finished just over 12 minutes behind Klaebo in his best result of the Games.
A fantastic 23rd placed finish for Thomas Maloney Westgaard in the 50km cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics.
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 21, 2026
The podium will be all Norway - Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo taking his SIXTH gold of these Games. pic.twitter.com/Y4m31zADIE
The 30-year-old found himself in 31st position just past the 10km marker but improved from there and sat 25th as the race hit the halfway point.
Maloney Westgaard moved into 23rd around the 37km mark, and he was able to hold onto that position until the finish.
Maloney Westgaard had previously finished 35th in the men's 10km + 10km skiathlon and 54th in the men's 10km freestyle cross-country ski race.
Speaking afterwards. the skier with Galway roots made no bones about how tough it was, saying: "That was brutal, full suffering out there. I mean, the speed was all out from the start. It was, again, a ridiculous pace. It felt like we were only doing 10K. It was like a 10K pace, but it seemed like the front trio kept it for like 50, there was no rest and we were falling like flies there at the end. It's how it should be."
With this being his preferred event, and one where he has achieved significant results over the past number of years, due to various conditions, the three-time Olympian finally managed to compete in the full 50km distance at the Olympic Games today, a feat that is all the sweeter, considering a poor run of form over the past number of months.
"It's my first Olympic 50K, I was sick in Pyeongchang, and it was reduced to 30K in Beijing due to the cold. So finally I got to suffer for real, and yeah, I'll take this result. It's been a tough season. I came to the Olympics doubting a bit about where I was. So yeah, it’s my next best Olympic results ever.
"Before the season I was struggling and I was very sceptical. I struggled a lot with my shape. A month ago I didn't train at all, and I had to let all the guys go after one minute into the interval. So, it's good to take this. I've for sure dreamed a bit more before the season, but getting here with so many doubts and uncertainties, I'm happy with this."
He is the last Irish athlete to compete at the Games, with the closing ceremony to take place on Sunday with coverage on the RTÉ Player from 6.45pm.
