Photo: Bildbyrån
Therese Johaug is back on the ski trail.
But she won’t have it easy this winter, believes Maja Dahlqvist.
– I think she will have a tough time, says the Swede to NRK.
There were probably some who were surprised when the 36-year-old Therese Johaug announced that she would resume her skiing career after just over two years as a TV expert on maternity leave. The Norwegian has set her sights on the home WC in Trondheim at the turn of February-March next year.
Dahlqvist hesitant to Johaug
When all the Norwegian skaters made their season premiere in Beitostölen this weekend – around the same time as the Swedes competed in Bruksvallarna – Johaug was tickled to the toes. It appeared that she trained properly to be in top shape in time for the new season. She won the 10-kilometer race in classic style and came second the next day in freestyle. Heidi Weng won by six tenths.
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One who, on the other hand, was not overly impressed by Johaug’s effort was the Swedish sprint star Maja Dahlqvist30. She doesn’t think Therese will be as superior as she was before she ended her elite career in 2022. At that time, she dominated every single competition. Now she is demonstrably not unbeatable. The Norwegian skiing queen has said that she wants to compete in four different distances during the WC in Trondheim, but Maja thinks that it may be difficult for her.
– I think she has to go to the qualifying races and be selected first. That’s where we are. She will probably manage quite well, but I think she will have a tough time, she tells NRK.
Maja thus sends a small warning to Therese.
– Yes, but I think she knows it herself, that it will be difficult. She can certainly win something, but it won’t be that easy, she says.
Ebba Andersson roars away
NRK speculates on which of the Swedes is Johaug’s biggest competitor this winter, especially during the WC 2025. Both Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson has achieved great success since the Dalsbygda girl quit. Before Johaug had quit, the two Swedes had a total of three World Cup victories together. In the past two years, Karlsson has taken nine individual victories, also in the WC and in the Tour de Ski.
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Ebba Andersson has also won ten World Cup races. She is not at all afraid of Therese Johaug this season, even though the 36-year-old opened the season strongly in Beitostölen.
– I’m not afraid of it. I see it as a challenge, and I like it. If not, I wouldn’t be involved in elite sports, she tells NRK.
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