Therese Johaug already had time to read the news about her return to the World Championships, although she has not yet decided whether she plans to aim for the prestigious championships.
Therese Johaug skied on Sunday to compete for the first time in almost two years when he took part in a 17km freestyle race in Engadin, Switzerland.
Johaug ended his successful international career in the spring of 2022 and had a child last May, but the performance on the track on Sunday was superior as usual.
The Norwegian won the race with a difference of more than three and a half minutes to his rival Poland from previous years to Justyna Kowalczyk.
– It was really fun to have a number plate on my chest again. It had been a couple of years since the last time, so before the start I felt a bit uncertain. Things started to roll, however, when I got up to speed with Johaug told NRK.
– It’s a long way from this race to the World Cup level, but at least competing was fun.
Decision by summer
Johaug, who has dominated endurance races since the 2010s, is thought to be aiming for next year’s World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, where women will compete for the first time at 50 kilometers.
Speculations surrounding the skiing queen’s World Cup decision intensified over the weekend, when she said in an interview with the Engadin race organizers that she could imagine competing in Trondheim next year.
Shortly after this, Johaug was lying on the bed and started to notice news on his phone that the return is certain.
– I thought, have I made my decision? Who did it? Not me at least! I can confirm that I haven’t decided anything yet.
In an interview with NRK, the skier estimated that the decision should be locked by the summer.
– Now I want to use this time and train to get back in good shape and make a decision when it’s time.
Kläbo for sure
Over the weekend, the men’s skiing superstar who won everything at the Salpauselkä Games Johannes Kläbo believes that Johaug will be seen in Trondheim in a year.
– As far as I know, the 50 km race has a total of 2,500 meters of ascent. There are hills to climb on the route, and Johaug is very tough on them. I bet he’s on the podium, Kläbo said.
Coach of the Norwegian women’s national team Stig Rune Kveen was more cautious in his assessments.
– It’s hard to say how tough Kowalczyk is today. I expected Johaug to win more clearly, Kveen thought.
Johaug plans to compete at least in the 30 kilometers of the Norwegian championships this season.
– It is difficult to say whether Johaug can win there, Kveen said.