The Norwegian langrendsstjerne Therese Johaug was untouchable in Saturday’s skiathlon competition at the WORLD cup in the austrian Seefeld.
the gold medal was Johaugs eighth at the WORLD cup, but the first since she returned from an 18 months long dopingkarantæne in 2018.
– It means a lot. I have been looking forward to this championship for two years now, says Therese Johaug according to NTB.
She was superb in Saturday’s race. Compatriot Ingvild Flugstad Østberg was the nearest competitor, but she was almost a minute after.
Russian Natalya Nepryayeva took the bronze.
Photo: Ritzau Scanpix
Johaug was in February 2017 punished with a 13-month quarantine to have used the anabolic steroid clostebol.
The Norwegian athlete has even explained its positive dopingprøve with a cream, which she used to lubricate her sunburnt lips, contained the banned substance.
A Norwegian landsholdslæge took responsibility for having misinformed langrendsstjernen, but Johaug was still quarantined.
Later selected by The International ski association (FIS) to appeal to The International court of arbitration for sport (CAS).
This was bad news for Johaug, for CAS extended her sentence from 13 to 18 months of quarantine, and for the same reason she went to miss winter OLYMPICS in Pyeongchang in 2018.
the Panel considered that Johaug himself was responsible for checking the packaging of the cream thoroughly.
the President of The Norwegian ski association, Erik Røste, under langrendsløberen the gold medal in Saturday’s competition.
– the Whole of Norway under really Therese it here by the whole heart. Many of us have been looking forward to it here. That it managed for her by the day, is fantastic, he says, according to NTB.
It’s the same Johaugs manager Jørn Ernst.
– It was absolutely amazing to see. It was a relief. Finally, we reached the goal. It could not be a better end. Now everything is forgotten, and it went really well, he says.