Backflip on the podium, breakthrough on the snow, as Ben Ogden hails new generation of US skiers

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy (AP) - Ben Ogden snapped a selfie, handed off his Olympic silver medal and the plush mascots of Tina and Milo, and then did what few would dare.

He launched into a backflip off the podium.

The 25-year-old American lost his hat mid-rotation, amusing the two Norwegians on the podium who followed with playful jumps of their own after Tuesday's skiathlon. The celebration marked a breakthrough for American cross-country skiing - and, Ogden hopes, a catalyst for the future.

Before the Milan Cortina Winter Games, an American man hadn't won an Olympic medal in the sport in 50 years. Ogden believes a generational breakthrough is now possible.

"There's been a really strong group of younger men coming up through the sport that I've had the pleasure of racing against for my whole life," Ogden told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

"I've seen it many times throughout the course of our careers," added Ogden, who has a degree in mechanical engineering. "It just takes one of us to crack through to that next level. And then all of a sudden, it's like an onslaught of teammates following."

Ogden finished Tuesday's race 0.8 seconds behind Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, the Norwegian star who claimed his second gold of the Milan Cortina Games and is targeting a record career haul.

As Klaebo sprinted up the final hill, Ogden broke from the other competitors and unleashed a powerful finishing kick.

"I just powered over the finish line and ended up getting sort of close to Johannes," Ogden said. "But he won outright, and he had the gas on the hill that nobody else had."

The last U.S. Olympic medal in men's cross-country skiing was a silver by Bill Koch at the 1976 Innsbruck Games. Ogden grew up in the same southern Vermont area as Koch and trained at his academy in the Green Mountains. Their families are friendly.

Ogden, who comes from a family of skiers, said he's not an outlier as U.S. competitors continue to climb the world rankings. He is currently ranked fifth in the World Cup sprint standings - behind four Norwegians - and 15th overall. Other peers gaining ground and international recognition include J.C. Schoonmaker and Gus Schumacher, followed by a crop of younger athletes.

On the U.S. team, Ogden said, success is contagious. He cited Schoonmaker's 2023 World Cup podium finish as an example.

"As soon as one of us did it, the others were quick to follow suit," he said. "So I'm really hopeful and excited for what's coming with our group."

The backflip celebration was done on impulse.

"When I was young, I had a couple of years where I wanted nothing more than to learn how to do a backflip," Ogden said. "Yesterday, when I was up there getting ready to go on the podium, I thought to myself, man, no better opportunity to show off my hard-cultivated skills than right now. So I decided to go for it."

His mother, Andrea, watched from the stands in northern Italy, keeping her fingers crossed on both hands during the race. But Ogden's thoughts were also with his father, who died three years ago at age 56.

"It was spectacular to have my mom in the stands," Ogden said. "It's a confusing set of emotions for me because I certainly wish and crave my father's presence at moments like those. I miss him every single day. ... I've been telling everybody and reminding myself that he knew I was capable of this long before I ever did."

Back home in Vermont, fans gathered before dawn to watch the race.

"I saw some videos - there were all kinds of people up in Vermont at 5 a.m. watching the race," Ogden said. "From the videos, it might as well have been 9 p.m. They were as amped up and celebrating as much as any."

Ogden hopes the silver medal will help grow the sport in the United States, which this season will host the final World Cup event at Lake Placid, New York.

"My hopes for this and the rest of this championship are that we can just get more eyes on cross-country skiing in the U.S. and get more young kids fired up about it," he said. "The U.S., being such a giant country, could have 10 times that success if we could just continue to grow the sport."