Ben Ogden won silver in the men's cross-country skiing sprint classic at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, snapping a Team USA men's Olympic cross-country skiing medal drought that dated to 1976.
His path to the podium runs through Vermont's college ski culture, an NCAA championship résumé and a student-athlete balance that shows up in the details.
Quick facts
- Olympic event: Men's sprint classic.
- Result: Silver.
- Drought snapped: Team USA men's first Olympic cross-country skiing medal since 1976.
- College ties: Vermont (Ben), Dartmouth (sister Katharine), Middlebury (father, John; sister Charlotte)
Here are five things to know about Ogden, the former Vermont skier who brought Team USA men back to the Olympic podium in cross-country skiing.
1) Olympic silver brings Team USA men back to the Olympic podium in cross-country skiing
Ogden's silver was Team USA men's first Olympic cross-country skiing medal since 1976 and only the second U.S. men's Olympic medal in the sport.
"Unbelievable, unbelievable. I just can't, I can't put into words. I'm just so thrilled," Ogden said. "I'm proud to be the first in the sprint, but there will be more, don't you worry."
2) Vermont and the NCAA foundation behind an Olympic medalist
Before he became an Olympic medalist, Ogden built his base at Vermont, where he became a three-time NCAA champion and developed into the kind of racer who can handle rounds, tactics and pressure.
He has also stayed closely connected to Vermont coach Patrick Weaver.
"Having Patrick involved … is really nice for me mentally," Ogden said in a 2025 FasterSkier story. "We've had so many good years together."
Ogden's Olympic moment also looked like a home event, with Vermonters in the stands.
"There's all kinds of people here from Vermont," Ogden said after winning his Olympic medal. "My mom is here. A bunch of people from my hometown are here. If I wasn't doing this, I'd be over there celebrating with them. I'm just excited I was able to put on a good show with so many Vermonters here and watching back home."
3) Mechanical engineering, car restoration and the hobbies that keep him balanced
Ogden studied mechanical engineering at Vermont and carries that mindset into how he unwinds away from racing, including a long-term car restoration project.
"I ended up buying a Land Rover from 1973 out of his field, which had been sitting there for 12 years. So I had to drag it onto a trailer with a tractor," Ogden told Olympics.com in 2024.
"I've taken it completely apart so far. I've rebuilt the motor and the transmission, and I've rebuilt both the axles and the differentials. I've always had an obsession with cars and how they work," he said. "The reason I embarked on it is because I've always valued having things other than training and racing in my life to balance out the mind and keep me away from getting obsessed with the training. It's absolutely essential to my cross-country career and serves a huge purpose."
He also knits between races and said he planned to return to it to decompress after the medal.
"After a day like today, my knitting needles are probably waiting for me," Ogden said in his Olympics press conference.
4) A family of NCAA skiers across Vermont, Dartmouth and Middlebury
Ogden's NCAA ties run through his family. His father, John, skied at Middlebury and later coached a local club in Vermont's Bill Koch Youth Ski League network, which is named for a Vermonter who won America's last Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.
His sister Katharine is a three-time NCAA national champion and five-time first-team All-American in Nordic skiing at Dartmouth.
His sister Charlotte skied at Middlebury, qualified for the NCAA championships in 2022 and 2023 and earned Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association All-East second-team honors in 2023.
5) What Ogden wants to build: a legacy that lifts the sport
Ogden has framed his medal as a spark for what could come next in U.S. cross-country skiing.
"I hope it gives the future of the sport in the U.S. a big boost. I know Bill [Koch] winning his medal gave a big boost to all the young skiers and all the people who dreamed the U.S. could be
