Therese Johaug has still not announced her comeback.
Now she is seen in Norway.
– I don’t understand it, says Ernst A Lersveen.
Therese Johaug was at times superior before she chose to end her career. It hit like a bombshell when she was banned for 18 months for doping in 2018, causing her to miss the Pyeongchang Olympics, but once she returned she was in better shape than ever.
Expected to make a comeback
Johaug won a total of three golds during the Olympics in Beijing 2022, and for a few seasons won pretty much every important distance competition she competed in. During her career, there has also been a relay gold from the Olympics in Vancouver 2010, as well as a whopping 14(!) WC golds . But in the spring of 2022, Johaug announced that the elite effort was over, and that she would focus on something other than skiing.
Since then, Johaug has had time to become a mother, but the rumors about her possible comeback were not delayed. People around Norwegian skiing who have trained with Johaug testify that she is in great shape, and many in Norway have already taken it for granted that there will be a comeback for her this winter, especially when the WC is decided on her home turf, in Trondheim, Norway.
Great criticism in Norway
The idea was that Johaug would have given a definitive statement about her future before the summer, but last week a message came from her coach that it will take until August before Johaug communicates anything. And that message is now seen by the experienced ski journalist Ernst A Lersveen.
– I think it’s strange. I don’t understand why she can’t just say it. It goes without saying that she will make a comeback, says Lersveen to Dagbladet, Expressen writes.
Lersveen believes that Johaug surely knows in her head that she can join and challenge, which makes her non-communication even more strange.
– I don’t know why she’s waiting. Surely she must know that “I can win this”. And I think she’s figured out that she can. She has everything it takes, he says.
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