The 26-year-old from Vermont was coming off the best season of his career so far, earning two silver medals at the 2026 Olympics in Italy – making him the most decorated US male cross-country skier ever – and a gold medal at the US national championships six weeks later.
Then a devastating injury hit in April, sidelining the 26-year-old for weeks and now impacting his preparations for the upcoming World Championship season.
Madshus caught up with Ben Ogden in the midst of his summer training period, which has become quite different than originally planned.
Proof that “I can do me”
Ogden opened the Games with sprint silver before adding another silver in the team sprint, helping make history for American cross-country skiing.
The medals weren't just podium finishes. To Ogden, they validated years of trusting an approach that often looked different from everyone else's.
“It is hard to put into words exactly what the medals meant to me at the end of each race. I felt like I raced all the Olympic races with some slightly unconventional tactics, but I really played to my strengths and made sure that I didn't leave anything on the table.”
In the past, even strong performances often left Ogden second-guessing his tactics and wondering whether he should have raced differently.
“I think that having such success on the biggest day of my career thus far was immensely satisfying because it proved that racing my way can be successful. It might not be as consistently good as (Johannes Høsflot) Klæbo's style, but it works for me,” Ogden explains.
“As I look back on those days, the same thing sticks out – but on a more overall scale: Proving to myself that I can compete with the very best, even on the biggest days, is so validating for so many decisions I have made with regards to how to approach training and life as a professional athlete. It doesn't ever take the edge off, or reduce, the desire to be the best I can be, but rather, it gives me confidence that if I just ‘keep doing me’ then I can rise to the top.
Ogden says the weeks after the Olympics were a blur. A bout of illness forced him to miss the 50-kilometer race in Falun, but also helped him reset and enjoy the remainder of the season.
And that’s just what he did.
Capping off the World Cup on home turf in Lake Placid with some of his best distance form of the season in front of home crowds added another highlight to an already unforgettable winter.
“That weekend was a blur of excitement, but the best possible way to end such a fantastic season,” Ogden says.
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Photo by: Nordic Focus
The medals haven’t changed his approach.
“I think I just take the confidence from a successful Olympics and do what I have always done: Keep trying to get better every single day and strive for the next goals. What a fun life I get to live!”
From heaven to hell in the blink of an eye
Then the injury in April: Only a couple of weeks after capping off the race season with a gold medal in the sprint at the US National Championships, Ogden fell while enjoying some off-season spring skiing in the mountains.
“The injury in April was certainly a blow,” Ogden admits.
At first, he didn’t think much of it. While he certainly felt it, he just assumed it would heal with a few days of rest. But it didn’t. Instead, the pain and swelling just got worse, and he decided to have it checked.
The appointment was not what he wanted to hear: Ogden had torn his meniscus.
“Talking with the surgeons and learning about my options and the recovery time, was absolutely terrible. I remember thinking about all I had accomplished in skiing and how much of my life I had devoted to it, only to lose so much at the hands of a silly random crash while spring skiing.”
As the first shock wore off, so did the despair.
“It was really hard to put things into context in those moments, but slowly I started to regain confidence. Now that I am removed from the surgery and the phase on crutches, I am feeling better and better about what I am able to do, and more confident than ever that I can come back. It might take a long time, but I know that I will get through this.”
Unable to rollerski or run, Ogden has shifted his focus to swimming, SkiErg sessions and strength training, trusting that the work will pay off even if it looks very different from a normal summer.
“I have to believe It will help me get better in ways that I don't realize,” he says.
Ogden opted for a meniscus repair, extending his recovery but giving him the best chance of returning at full strength.
“I am sure I will have to manage it to some extent for a little while, but for the most part I should be good as new come winter. Maybe with a few less hours of training than I would like, but ready to rip regardless.
Is there at all a silver lining to this?
“I cannot say if there will be a silver lining or not, I certainly hope so! I can say that I have been in the gym 3-4 times per week this entire spring and summer, and I have gotten a lot better at pullups! Maybe that will help my double-pole power.”