Samuel Ikpefan exits sprint early as Nigeria's Milano Cortina 2026 campaign begins
Nigeria’s lone flagbearer at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Samuel Ikpefan, saw his first event at the Games come to an early end on Tuesday after finishing 65th in the men’s sprint classic qualification.
Ikpefan clocked a time of 3:33.31, finishing 25.94 seconds behind the fastest qualifier to earn 166.13 FIS points. The result was not enough to secure a place in the quarter-finals, with only the top 30 skiers progressing from the qualification round.
The 33-year-old cross-country skier is competing at his second consecutive Winter Olympics, further cementing his place in Nigeria’s Olympic history as the country’s only athlete at the Games.
Born and raised in the French Alps, Ikpefan also represented Nigeria at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where he finished 73rd in the men’s sprint free. His campaign in China was later cut short when he withdrew from the 15km classic due to Covid-19 complications, though he still had the honour of carrying the Nigerian flag at the closing ceremony.
While Ikpefan’s outing was a quiet one, the men’s sprint classic belonged to Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who stormed to gold to claim his second title of the Milano Cortina Games. The victory marked a seventh Olympic gold medal for Klæbo, who finished ahead of American Ben Ogden, while fellow Norwegian Oskar Opstad Vike took bronze.
Klæbo’s latest triumph moves him within one gold medal of equalling compatriot Bjoern Daehlie’s all-time Winter Olympics record of eight golds. He will have another opportunity to close that gap in the men’s 10km interval start free on Friday.
Ikpefan is also set to return to action on Friday in the same 10km interval start free, where he will again line up against a deep and highly competitive field.
His appearance at Milano Cortina makes him the first Nigerian athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics twice, extending the nation’s growing though still modest footprint at the Winter Games. Nigeria is yet to win a Winter Olympics medal, with all 80 of its Olympic medals coming from the Summer Games.
