Therese Johaug was suspended for doping.
Then she was supported – by Charlotte Kalla.
– I was moved, says Johaug.
The news hit like a bomb in the skiing world, and just about everyone was in shock. Therese Johaug had tested positive for using the illegal substance clostebol, and the sentence was harsh. Johaug was shut down and missed the Pyeongchang Olympics, and there were powerful scenes as a crying Johaug faced the press.
“Made me moved”
Johaug ingested the substance through a medicine against mouth ulcers, which she had been given by the Norwegian team doctor. Johaug was devastated by the decision, while many were upset that she had used an unauthorized drug. But several Swedish stars showed their support, it turns out in retrospect. In her new book “The Whole Story”, she reveals the unexpected support she received.
While several Finnish skiers were upset at Johaug, Charlotte Kalla and Anna Jönsson Haag, Sweden’s two biggest skiing stars at the time, showed support in the form of private text messages.
“Getting support from the Swedes moved me. Both messages were full of hearts, that they felt for me and supported me,” writes Johaug in the book, according to Dagbladet.
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Called words
To Expressen, Kalla confirms that she sent the message, where she wrote, among other things, that she was thinking about the Norwegian.
– It felt unreal. I care about the amazing person Therese is, and I wanted her to know that I was thinking about her, says Kalla.
Anna Jönsson Haag was in Mallorca when the news came, which she received from a journalist.
– It was a shock. It’s an athlete’s worst nightmare, and it happens to someone you’ve been competing against all your life. I thought: “What would I have done if it was me?”, says Jönsson Haag.
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