Norway's Johannes Dale-Skjevdal delivered a masterclass in biathlon Friday, hitting all 20 targets in the 15-kilometer mass start to secure Norway's 17th gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The victory broke the previous Winter Games record of 16 golds set by Norway at Beijing 2022. Dale-Skjevdal's flawless shooting and strong skiing gave him a 10.5-second margin over teammate Sturla Holm Laegreid.

Dale-Skjevdal took control after the first standing bout with perfect shooting and maintained his lead through five laps in challenging conditions featuring newly packed snow and gusty winds. He finished in 39 minutes, 17.1 seconds, while Laegreid, who missed only one target, claimed silver. Germany's Philipp Horn held third place after the final shooting but was overtaken by France's Quentin Fillon Maillet on a crucial climb, securing bronze 25.6 seconds behind the winner.

The mass start featured only the top 30 biathletes based on World Cup rankings and Olympic performance. Fillon Maillet, who added this bronze to his gold in the sprint and relay events, demonstrated the depth of competition at these Games. Norway's dominance across multiple disciplines has established them as the most successful nation in Winter Olympic history.