'He's invincible': Andrew Musgrave accepts Winter Olympics defeat and can't commit to 2030

The cross-country ace bagged a record-equalling eighth Winter Olympic gold medal through sheer will, while Aberdeenshire’s Musgrave finished a fine sixth. Klaebo’s win made it a Milano Cortina hat-trick and he will surely take the record outright from compatriots Bjorn Daehlie, Marit Bjoergen and Ole Einar Bjorndalen in his three remaining events.

After earlier victories in the 1.5km sprint and the 20km skiathlon, 29-year-old Klaebo is on course to match his World Championship clean-sweep of six gold medals. Musgrave’s sixth place is the best-ever cross-country result for a Brit and, at his fifth Olympics, the Scot, who grew up in Oyne, says he can’t do any more. He finished 30 seconds behind and 16 seconds off bronze.

“He [Klaebo] will take all six golds at the Olympics. I'm 99 per cent sure on that,” said the 35-year-old after recovering from exhaustion at the finish. “This Games he is invincible. That might change next year but he’s too good right now. I probably should have been able to take a fourth spot but I didn't have 16 seconds in me for a medal.

“You don't dream of a sixth spot at the Olympics. I think it's the best result but I always do useless when I'm at the Olympics and get ill. So far I've done well so fingers crossed. I don't think we're going to be the world's biggest ski nation. But we've definitely put ourselves on the map as a cross-country nation and shown we can compete."

Klaebo, who can break the record in the relay and then extend it in the sprint relay and 50km classic, was typically cool in the aftermath, though did admit this one meant more. “My grandad has been my coach since I was 15, so to share this with him is very special," he said. “This means a lot. They are all special. It is hard to compare things, I am lost for words actually.”

Musgrave was proud of his performance and admits his better medal chance comes in the 50km next weekend. However, the prospect of it marking his Olympic swansong is real, even if he has no plans to hang up the goggles just yet.

“I enjoy skiing a lot and I have no plan for when I will retire,” he added. “At the moment, I love skiing and love training and there's nothing else I want to do so I don't feel any reason to think about retirement at the moment. Whether I've got four more years in me I don't know but I will see.”

How the Scottish curlers got on?

At the curling rink, Bruce Mouat and his Scottish crew were beaten for the first time in the men’s competition by hosts Italy. The gold medal favourites made a shocking start and fell 4-0 down in the first end. Lying shot, Mouat could have settled for a 1-0 advantage but played aggressively, chasing a second. He was unfortunate to hit his own stone, leaving Italy with the four nearest to centre.

From there, Mouat – and teammates Hammy McMillan Jr, Bobby Lammie and Grant Hardie – outscored the Italians and did well to extend the match to the final end. However, the hosts kept them at bay to emerge 9-7 winners and leave the Scots 2-1 through three games. They are back in action against Czechia on Saturday.

“I think it was nine good ends and seven good stones,” McMillan said. “We were very unfortunate the way Bruce had ended up in that first end, the way they scattered and left them lying four. We probably couldn't do that again if we tried. But no, we showed really good resolve to come back and take it to the 10th end there.”

Lammie was caught in a quandary in the afternoon, as Britain’s women took on a South Korea team featuring his partner, Seol Ye-eun. He decided to remain neutral but the match was far from even, as Korea won 9-3 to put the Scottish quartet in a hole. They have lost their first two matches and while there is a long way to go, their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals have taken an early hit.

“We are close, some of those shots are not far away and you get punished at this level,” said Rebecca Morrison. “All the teams are so excellent there. Every team here is a tough team, we like to think that we are too. We need to come out and show that.”

Earlier on Friday, snowboard cross medal hopeful Charlotte Bankes crashed out in the quarter-finals for the second Olympics in a row. The former world champion was hoping to win Team GB’s first medal but was sluggish in qualifying and then slow out the gates in her second race.

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