Norwegian skier falls and break a pole at the start of the skiathlon but incredibly goes on to pass 67 others and easily win GOLD

• Simen Hegstad Krüger fell at the start of the 30km cross-country skiathlon
• He broke one pole, had two other skiers fall on top of him, ending up last
• The 24-year-old Norwegian then passed 67 competitors to win the race

A Norwegian skier made a mammoth recovery during the 30km skiathlon after falling over and ending up last just a few hundred yards in - and then speeding past all his 67 competitors to win gold at the Winter Olympics.

Simen Hegstad Krüger reportedly got tripped from behind in the first 200 yards of the cross-country skiathlon in Pyeongchang, South Korea yesterday.

The 24-year-old found himself face down in the snow with Russian rivals on top of him and a broken ski pole in his hand. 

'Here it is my first ever Olympic race, and it starts in the worst possible way,' said the Norwegian, who untangled his legs and his skis from the two Russian competitors he wrecked, grabbed his broken ski pole and stormed up the hill to get back in contention.

Starting from the rear of the 68-competitor race, Krüger passed all the other skiers to take the lead and win the gold medal on Sunday to cap an amazing comeback.

After Krüger crossed the line in 1 hour, 16 minutes, 20 seconds, he looked to the heavens and repeatedly pumped his fists in the air.

Norway swept the medals, with Martin Johnsrud Sundby taking silver and Hans Christer Holund getting bronze.

Sundby said Krüger's return to the front of the field after crashing is an incredible testament to his perseverance.

'I think we have a deserving Olympic champion,' Sundby said.

Holund said he would expect nothing more from a Norwegian skier in a sport they have dominated for years.

'When you are skiing for Norway, there are a lot of guys skiing for that right (to participate in the Olympics). You should not give up, especially when you are in the Olympics,' Holund said. 'It shows that Simen is a real strong guy - not just physical, but also mental.'

Just seconds after the mass start began and with skiers still bottled up in lines, Krüger appeared to slip in mid-stride and his right ski came out from under him, causing him to fall to the ground. The two skiers directly behind him - Andrey Larkov and Denis Spitsov, Russians competing under the Olympic flag - couldn't stop quick enough and toppled over him in a heap.

Krüger told himself he needed to stay calm.

He knew he couldn't get back the 15 seconds he lost all at once. It would take patience to get back in the lead pack and still have some energy left at the end of the race.

'I had to try to keep those (negative) thoughts away,' Kruger said. 'I knew it was going to be extremely hard.'

One of the Norway coaches gave Krueger a new pole - which is legal - shortly after the crash. Krueger steadily moved through the field and eventually took the lead with 5 kilometers remaining.

On the eighth and final lap, Krüger made what Holund called a 'daring move' to pull away from the pack.

He succeeded with the help of Norwegian teammates, whose plan coming into the race was for a team victory - meaning protecting the leader if he tried to pull away by not letting other top medal contenders like Swiss great Dario Cologna catch up.

'If Simen had a seven-second lead and I tried to catch him and Dario was able to stay with me, and then Dario and me caught him and Dario has the best finish - that would not look so good for us,' Sundby said.

'I think we all agree the plan was good for the Norwegian team.'