This is a list of medalists from the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in men's cross-country skiing. Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
Debuted: 1925.
Classic style: 1925, 1927–1987, 1989, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019. Free style: 1989, 1991, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023.
Interval start: 1925, 1927–1991, 2001–2023.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 12 | 11 | 14 | 37 |
2 | Finland | 11 | 5 | 10 | 26 |
3 | Sweden | 8 | 9 | 4 | 21 |
4 | Italy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
5 | Czechoslovakia | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
6 | Estonia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
7 | Germany | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
8 | Poland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
9 | Soviet Union | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
10 | Belarus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Czech Republic | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
East Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
France | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Russia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Totals (14 entries) | 37 | 37 | 37 | 111 |
Debuted: 1925.
50 km is one of only three events that has been contested at every FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
Classic style: 1925–1985, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023. Free style: 1987–1995, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019.
Interval start: 1925–2003. Mass start: 2005–2023.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sweden | 14 | 9 | 9 | 32 |
2 | Norway | 11 | 7 | 12 | 30 |
3 | Finland | 8 | 9 | 7 | 24 |
4 | Italy | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
5 | Soviet Union | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
6 | Czechoslovakia | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
7 | Czech Republic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
8 | East Germany | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
9 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Spain | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
11 | Russia | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
12 | Germany | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
13 | France | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
14 | Estonia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Russian Ski Federation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
17 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
18 | Austria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Totals (18 entries) | 41 | 41 | 41 | 123 |
Debuted: 1926. Discontinued: 2003.
Classic style: 1926, 1954–1995, 2001, 2003. Free style: 1997, 1999.
Interval start: 1926, 1954–2001. Mass start: 2003.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Finland | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
2 | Sweden | 5 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
3 | Soviet Union | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
4 | Norway | 2 | 9 | 5 | 16 |
5 | Russia | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
6 | Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
7 | Estonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
8 | East Germany | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
9 | Poland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
10 | Italy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
United States | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
West Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (12 entries) | 19 | 19 | 19 | 57 |
Debuted: 1933
4×10 km classic style: 1933–1985. 4×10 km free style: 1987. 2×10 km classic style + 2×10 km free style: 1989–2023.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 20 | 3 | 4 | 27 |
2 | Sweden | 7 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
3 | Finland | 5 | 9 | 4 | 18 |
4 | Soviet Union | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
5 | East Germany | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
6 | Austria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
7 | Germany | 0 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
8 | Russia | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
9 | Italy | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
10 | Czechoslovakia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
11 | Russian Ski Federation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
12 | France | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Totals (12 entries) | 36 | 34 | 36 | 106 |
Debuted: 1991. Discontinued: 1999.
Classic style: 1991–1999. Interval start: 1991–1999.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
2 | Kazakhstan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
3 | Finland | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
4 | Sweden | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
5 | Austria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Russia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Totals (6 entries) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 |
Debuted: 1993.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 7 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
2 | Russia | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
3 | Sweden | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
4 | Germany | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Kazakhstan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
7 | France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Russian Ski Federation | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
9 | Italy | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
10 | Finland | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
11 | Spain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
12 | Canada | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Totals (12 entries) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 48 |
Debuted: 2001.
Classic style: 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023. Free style: 2001, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
2 | Russia | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Sweden | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |
4 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
5 | Canada | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
6 | France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Totals (6 entries) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 36 |
Debuted: 2005
Classic style: 2009, 2011, 2017, 2019. Free style: 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023.
Medal table
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
2 | Russia | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
3 | Italy | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
4 | Canada | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
5 | Germany | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
6 | Finland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
7 | Sweden | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
8 | Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
9 | France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Kazakhstan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Russian Ski Federation | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (11 entries) | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Table updated after the 2023 Championships.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 68 | 44 | 49 | 161 |
2 | Sweden | 38 | 29 | 29 | 96 |
3 | Finland | 30 | 31 | 29 | 90 |
4 | Russia | 7 | 15 | 12 | 34 |
5 | Soviet Union | 7 | 13 | 7 | 27 |
6 | Italy | 6 | 10 | 16 | 32 |
7 | Kazakhstan | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
8 | Germany | 2 | 8 | 7 | 17 |
9 | Czechoslovakia | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
10 | East Germany | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
11 | Estonia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
12 | Canada | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
13 | France | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
14 | Czech Republic | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
15 | Russian Ski Federation | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
16 | Switzerland | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
17 | Austria | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
18 | Spain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
19 | Poland | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
20 | Belarus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
21 | United States | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
West Germany | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (22 entries) | 176 | 174 | 176 | 526 |
Boldface denotes active cross-country skiers and highest medal count among all cross-country skiers (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
Rank | Cross-country skier | Country | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Petter Northug | Norway | 2007 | 2015 | 13 | 3 | – | 16 |
2 | Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway | 1991 | 1999 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 17 |
3 | Johannes Høsflot Klæbo | Norway | 2017 | 2023 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
4 | Gunde Svan | Sweden | 1985 | 1991 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
5 | Thomas Alsgaard | Norway | 1995 | 2003 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
6 | Klaes Karppinen | Finland | 1934 | 1939 | 5 | 5 | – | 10 |
7 | Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset | Norway | 1999 | 2009 | 5 | – | 3 | 8 |
8 | Vladimir Smirnov | Soviet Union Kazakhstan | 1987 | 1995 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
9 | Torgny Mogren | Sweden | 1987 | 1993 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
Mika Myllylä | Finland | 1995 | 1999 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 | |
Martin Johnsrud Sundby | Norway | 2011 | 2019 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
Rank | Cross-country skier | Country | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Petter Northug | Norway | 2009 | 2015 | 7 | 2 | – | 9 |
2 | Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway | 1991 | 1999 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 12 |
3 | Gunde Svan | Sweden | 1985 | 1991 | 5 | 2 | – | 7 |
4 | Vladimir Smirnov | Soviet Union Kazakhstan | 1989 | 1995 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
5 | Mika Myllylä | Finland | 1995 | 1999 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
6 | Johannes Høsflot Klæbo | Norway | 2017 | 2023 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
7 | Per Elofsson | Sweden | 2001 | 2003 | 3 | – | – | 3 |
8 | Veikko Hakulinen | Finland | 1954 | 1958 | 2 | 3 | – | 5 |
Thomas Wassberg | Sweden | 1982 | 1987 | 2 | 3 | – | 5 | |
10 | Torgny Mogren | Sweden | 1987 | 1993 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Here are listed most successful cross-country skiers in the history of each medal-winning national team – according to the gold-first ranking system and by total number of World Championships medals (one skier if he holds national records in both categories or few skiers if these national records belongs to different persons). If the total number of medals is identical, the gold, silver and bronze medals are used as tie-breakers (in that order). If all numbers are the same, the skiers get the same placement and are sorted by the alphabetic order.
Country | Cross-country skier | From | To | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Norway | Petter Northug (by the gold first ranking system) | 2007 | 2015 | 13 | 3 | – | 16 |
Bjørn Dæhlie (by total number of medals) | 1991 | 1999 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 17 | |
Sweden | Gunde Svan | 1985 | 1991 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 11 |
Finland | Klaes Karppinen | 1934 | 1939 | 5 | 5 | – | 10 |
Soviet Union Kazakhstan | Vladimir Smirnov | 1987 | 1995 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
Kazakhstan (as such only) | Vladimir Smirnov | 1993 | 1995 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Russia (as such only) | Nikita Kryukov (by the gold first ranking system) | 2011 | 2017 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Sergey Ustiugov (by total number of medals) | 2013 | 2019 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
Russia Russian Ski Federation | Nikita Kryukov (by the gold first ranking system) | 2011 | 2017 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Alexander Bolshunov (by total number of medals) | 2019 | 2021 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8 | |
Germany | Axel Teichmann | 2003 | 2011 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
East Germany | Gerhard Grimmer | 1970 | 1974 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
Canada | Alex Harvey | 2011 | 2017 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Estonia | Andrus Veerpalu | 1999 | 2009 | 2 | 1 | – | 3 |
Soviet Union (as such only) | Vladimir Kuzin & Vyacheslav Vedenin (by the gold first ranking system) | 1954 1970 | 1954 1970 | 2 2 | 1 1 | – – | 3 3 |
Vladimir Smirnov (by total number of medals) | 1987 | 1991 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
Italy | Maurilio De Zolt & Federico Pellegrino (by the gold first ranking system) | 1985 2015 | 1993 2023 | 1 1 | 3 3 | 2 2 | 6 6 |
Silvio Fauner (by total number of medals) | 1993 | 1999 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | |
Czechoslovakia | František Donth | 1925 | 1927 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Russian Ski Federation (as such only) | Alexander Bolshunov | 2021 | 2021 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Switzerland | Dario Cologna* | 2013 | 2015 | 1 | 2 | – | 3 |
Austria | Alois Stadlober (by the gold first ranking system) | 1999 | 1999 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
Mikhail Botvinov (by total number of medals, including 1 bronze medal won for Russia) | 1993 | 1999 | 1 | – | 2 | 3 | |
Spain | Johann Mühlegg* | 2001 | 2001 | 1 | 1 | – | 2 |
Czech Republic | Martin Koukal | 2003 | 2005 | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
Poland | Józef Łuszczek | 1978 | 1978 | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
France | Vincent Vittoz (by the gold first ranking system) | 2005 | 2005 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
Maurice Manificat (by total number of medals) | 2015 | 2021 | – | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
Belarus | Leanid Karneyenka* | 2007 | 2007 | – | 1 | – | 1 |
United States | Bill Koch* | 1982 | 1982 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
West Germany | Walter Demel* | 1966 | 1966 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
An asterisk (*) marks athletes who are the only representatives of their respective countries to win a medal.
Bjørn Erlend Dæhlie is a Norwegian businessman and retired cross-country skier. From 1992 to 1999, Dæhlie won the Nordic World Cup six times, finishing second in 1994 and 1998. Dæhlie won a total of 29 medals in the Olympics and World Championships between 1991 and 1999, making him the most successful male cross-country skier in history.
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a biennial Nordic skiing event organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The World Championships was started in 1925 for men and opened for women's participation in 1954. World Championship events include Nordic skiing's three disciplines: cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. From 1924 to 1939, the World Championships were held every year, including the Winter Olympics. After World War II, the World Championships were held every four years from 1950 to 1982. Since 1985, the World Championships have been held in odd-numbered years.
Vladimir Mikhaylovich Smirnov is a Kazakh former cross-country skier of Russian descent who raced from the 1982 until 1991 for the USSR and, later, for Kazakhstan. He is the first Olympic champion from independent Kazakhstan and the most decorated Olympian in history of Kazakhstan. He is also a vice president of the International Biathlon Union. Smirnov is a former member of International Olympic Committee.
Petter Northug Jr. is a Norwegian former cross-country skier and double Olympic champion. He won a total of 13 World Championship and two Winter Olympic gold medals with 20 medals overall, and 18 individual FIS Cross-Country World Cup wins with 13 podium places. He is also the record holder for most stage wins (13) in Tour de Ski. By winning his ninth gold medal in the Nordic World Ski Championships in 4 × 10 km relay in Val di Fiemme 2013, he leveled the achievement of Bjørn Dæhlie who had been the most successful World Champion male skier up to that point. He is considered by many as the greatest cross-country skier of all time.
Klaes Karppinen was a Finnish cross-country skier who competed in the 1930s. He won a gold medal at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the 4 × 10 km relay. Karppinen was born in Iisalmi, Finland.
The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1993 took place 19–28 February 1993 in Falun, Sweden, for the third time. This event saw the creation of the combined pursuit where competitors would skate one distance in the classical interval style one day, then follow the next day in the freestyle pursuit with the first distance winner going first in the pursuit. Additionally it was the first competition since the breakup of the Soviet Union in late 1991 and the first competition with Czechoslovakia having been split up as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, however, the two nations competed as combined teams in women's relay in cross-country skiing and team large hill in ski jumping.
František Donth, or Franz Donth in German was an Ethnic German Nordic skier who competed for Czechoslovakia in cross-country skiing in the 1920s. He won four medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with a gold in the 50 km (1925), two silvers in the 18 km, and bronze in the 50 km (1927).
The men's 15 kilometre + 15 kilometre double Pursuit cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, was held on 20 February at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia, at 13:30 PST.
The men's 50 kilometre classical cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada was held on 28 February at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia at 09:30 PST. on the final day of the Games.
The men's 4 × 10 kilometre relay cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, was held on 24 February at Whistler Olympic Park at 11:15 PST.
Alexey Yurevich Poltoranin is a Kazakh cross-country skier who has competed at the international senior level since 2004. He has three World Cup wins, one in 2010 and two in 2013. In the 2013 World Championship in Val di Fiemme he won two bronze medals. Most of his best results are in the classic technique.
Iivo Henrik Niskanen is a Finnish cross-country skier who has competed in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup since 2011. He is a three-time Olympic champion.
Competitive cross-country skiing encompasses a variety of race formats and course lengths. Rules of cross-country skiing are sanctioned by the International Ski Federation and by various national organizations. International competitions include the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, and at the Winter Olympic Games. Such races occur over homologated, groomed courses designed to support classic (in-track) and freestyle events, where the skiers may employ skate skiing. It also encompasses cross-country ski marathon events, sanctioned by the Worldloppet Ski Federation, and cross-country ski orienteering events, sanctioned by the International Orienteering Federation. Related forms of competition are biathlon, where competitors race on cross-country skis and stop to shoot at targets with rifles, and paralympic cross-country skiing that allows athletes with disabilities to compete at cross-country skiing with adaptive equipment.
Didrik Tønseth is a Norwegian cross-country skier and runner.
Alexander Alexandrovich Bolshunov is a Russian cross-country skier and two-time winner of the 14th and 15th Tour de Ski.
The men's 30 kilometre skiathlon competition in cross-country skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 6 February, at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center and Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou. The event, with half distance classic skiing and half distance skate skiing, was won by Alexander Bolshunov, for whom this is the first Olympic gold medal. Denis Spitsov finished second and Iivo Niskanen third.
The men’s team sprint competition in cross-country skiing at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 16 February, at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center and Biathlon Center in Zhangjiakou. Erik Valnes and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway won the event. Iivo Niskanen and Joni Mäki of Finland won the silver medal, and Alexander Bolshunov and Alexander Terentyev, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, bronze.