Photo: Bildbyrån
Therese Johaug is back after a two-year hiatus.
She will give the Swedish stars a tough match, it has already been seen during the start of the season.
– Now that she is there, it will be another strong competitor, says Ebba Andersson to Sportbibeln.
36-year-old Therese Johaug needs no further introduction. Everyone already knows what the Norwegian skiing queen has achieved during her career. 150 podium places at the World Cup, 14 WC golds and four Olympic golds speak for themselves. Now she is back after a two-year break when, among other things, she had time to become a mother.
Ebba Andersson is less on Therese Johaug
Johaug showed directly during the Norwegian premiere in Beitostölen and during the World Cup premiere in Finnish Ruka that she will be counted on this year as well – even though she has not competed at elite level since 2022. Her biggest rivals have of course received a lot of questions about the Norwegian and her comeback. So much so that they were sad a long time ago. One of them is Ebba Andersson27.
– Yes, absolutely. I was already tired of it before this media meeting, says Ebba to Sportbibeln during the national team’s media introduction to the season.
READ MORE: Ebba Andersson’s anger towards SVT: “What is this?”
– I feel that it is of course a moment of tension, in addition to the moment of tension that is already there in just even standing on the starting line. Now that she is in it will be another strong competitor and she is also someone who has had a break for two seasons. It is clear that people are curious to see what it has led to. Have we moved cross-country skiing forward since then or have we stood and stomped? Which I don’t believe. At the same time, I expect her to be quite a difficult nut to crack many times, says the Swede about Johaug.
Ebba Andersson is afraid of the Norwegians
Ebba admits that she is somewhat afraid of Therese Johaug this season. It is about uncertainty, that it is still unclear whether the Norwegian will be as good as before she ended her career two years ago.
– She seems in pretty good physical shape. Then we’ll see, as I said, how it turns out in a competitive situation. Because it’s one thing to achieve in training and then it becomes something else when you put on the number plate, she says.
READ MORE: Ebba Andersson tells what partner Gustaf thought of the house purchase
At the same time, it is not only Therese Johaug who is a threat to Ebba. There are several Norwegian skaters who are in good shape and who can measure their strength with Andersson, Frida Karlsson, Lynn Svahn and Jonna Sundling this year.
– I think there will be tough opposition from the Norwegian side. It feels like they have been in a fairly positive spiral now during this pre-season, you could feel that a little bit when I was in Sandnes and ran the Blink festival this summer and then also during Toppidrottsvekka when we were in Trondheim in August. So it still seems like they’re on the up and up. Then I think that it can be a little extra spice as well that Therese has come in.
It will be incredibly exciting to see how it goes in the World Cup this year. Which Norwegians can challenge Ebba and Frida? Can Therese Johaug really perform again after the break? Feel free to write what you think in the comment field on Sportbibeln’s Facebook page.
Share