Best Cross-country Skiing Athletes of All Time
Who are the greatest cross-country skiing athletes of all time? Explore the leading athletes in Sport Ranking’s historical Cross-country Skiing ranking, based on results from major international competitions across different eras.
Greatest Men’s Cross-country Skiing Athletes
Cross-country Skiing Men
| # | Athlete | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannes Høsflot Klæbo | Norway | 232 |
| 2 | Bjørn Dæhlie | Norway | 189 |
| 3 | Dario Cologna | Switzerland | 133 |
| 4 | Petter Northug | Norway | 112 |
| 5 | Gunde Svan | Sweden | 106 |
| 6 | Vladimir Smirnov | Kazakhstan | 103 |
| 7 | Alexander Bolshunov | Russia | 98 |
| 8 | Martin Johnsrud Sundby | Norway | 79 |
| 9 | Thomas Alsgaard | Norway | 66 |
| 10 | Thomas Wassberg | Sweden | 63 |
Greatest Women’s Cross-country Skiing Athletes
Cross-country Skiing Women
| # | Athlete | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marit Bjørgen | Norway | 245 |
| 2 | Therese Johaug | Norway | 182 |
| 3 | Justyna Kowalczyk | Poland | 132 |
| 4 | Yelena Välbe | Russia | 120 |
| 5 | Stefania Belmondo | Italy | 113 |
| 6 | Bente Skari-Martinsen | Norway | 104 |
| 7 | Jessie Diggins | United States | 100 |
| 8 | Larisa Lazutina | Russia | 98 |
| 9 | Lyubov Yegorova | Russia | 86 |
| 10 | Heidi Weng | Norway | 79 |
How the All-Time Ranking Works
The ranking is based on the Olympic Games, the World Championships, and the long-term World Cup competitions. The overall World Cup standings carry a high point value as a reward for season-long performance and are complemented by separate scoring for sprint, distance, and the Tour de Ski.
The Olympic Games and World Championships, by contrast, provide several individual scoring opportunities, particularly across the distance events and sprint. The scoring structure therefore combines long-term consistency over the course of a season with results achieved at the major championship events.
Team events contribute only to the national rankings and are not included in the individual rankings.
Learn more about Cross-country Skiing scoring →