The Norwegian Petter Northug believes in a comeback of his compatriot Therese Johaug. © Bildbyran/imago
Cross-country skiing star Therese Johaug has hung up the boards and is dedicating herself to her task as a mother. But now rumors are circulating: Is she coming back?
Munich – Therese Johaug is a real superstar. In her discipline of cross-country skiing, she won pretty much everything there is to win. She became world champion 14 times, Olympic gold four times and the overall World Cup three times.
She ended her career in the spring of 2022, and a few weeks ago Johaug became the mother of a daughter, making her family happiness perfect. A comeback to the cross-country ski run seemed out of the question – until now! Compatriot Petter Northug, of all people, fuelled the rumours that there could be a return to the winter sports circus after all.
| Therese Johaug | |
|---|---|
| Age: | 34 years (June 25, 1988) |
| Sport: | Cross-country skiing |
| Greatest successes: | 4x Olympic gold, 1x Olympic silver, 1x bronze at the Olympics, 14x gold at World Championships, 2x silver at World Championships, 3x bronze at World Championships, 3x overall World Cup win |
Will Therese Johaug celebrate her comeback for the World Ski Championships in her home country?
When asked if he thought a comeback of Therese Johaug was possible, Northug told the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet: "Yes, I think so" – and is already thinking about the Nordic World Ski Championships 2025 in Trondheim, Norway. "The trails in Trondheim suit her perfectly. Perhaps a Johaug comeback is what the Cross-Country World Cup needs. We hope and believe that Therese will compete in a World Cup on home soil," said the 37-year-old.
Incidentally, Northug himself can look back on a career that is no less impressive than Johaug. During his active career, he won a total of 13 world championship titles, two Olympic gold medals and two overall World Cup titles. He retired in 2018 and is still considered the most successful cross-country skier at the Nordic World Ski Championships.
Johaug leaves the door open for a comeback
So will there be a comeback of Johaug? She herself always left the door open. "It's over now. But you never know what's going to happen in the future, so I'm not going to stand here and say it's never going to happen," she told Dagbladet a few weeks after her resignation.
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Her former teammate Ingvild Flugstad Ostberg says she has already knocked on Johaug's door. "I asked her, but it's probably like she said. She hasn't closed any doors, but she hasn't said there will be a comeback either." (msb)
