Therese Johaug has repeatedly hinted that she is tempted by the World Championships on home ground in Norway next year, and recently she has all but confirmed this in the media in several contexts. 

At the same time, the 35-year-old is clear that she can’t just join the Norwegian World Championships team; she must also qualify to be included in the squad. But that’s more of a formality, according to cross-country skiing expert Petter Soleng Skinstad. 

“She just needs to show up at Beitostølen in November and have one good race there, then she’s back in the World Championships team,” he says to Langrenn.com and adds:

“Norwegian women’s cross-country skiing is so far away from the best in the world that it is no problem for Therese Johaug to return to the squad.”

Also Read: Will we see Therese Johaug at next year’s World Championships?

A World Event

Skinstad compares Therese Johaug’s comeback to some of the world’s most significant comeback events in other sports. 

“Johaug’s comeback will, of course, be a trending topic in cross-country skiing. But it will also be one of the biggest comebacks in international sport. It would be on par with Michael Jordan making a comeback in basketball after a few seasons in baseball, or Tiger Woods coming back in 2018 and winning a golf major just a few months later,” he says.

What would it mean for women’s cross-country skiing if Therese Johaug made a comeback?

“It would be a gift for Norwegian cross-country skiing, the women’s national team, and the World Championships organizer. For the international competitors, it would certainly not be a gift,” says Skinstad. 

But several of her former rivals say they would love to have her back and would cheer if she made a comeback.

“They almost have to say that. If they say otherwise, they’ll be seen on the defensive, saying they don’t want such a strong competitor. But it will be much harder for them to win.” 

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What will Therese Johaug formally have to do to qualify for the World Championships, both in terms of FIS and the Norwegian national team?

“Concerning the national team, all she has to do is show up at Beitostølen in November and have one good race there, and she’s back in the World Championships squad. Even though she may have lost a little since she retired, she’s still better than all the other members of the Norwegian women’s national team at the moment. Norwegian women’s cross-country skiing is so far away from the best in the world that it’s no problem for her to get back into the squad,” Skinstad tells Langrenn.com. 

“Concerning FIS, Johaug has no obstacles. She has never formally announced her retirement and still has active status. This means, among other things, that Johaug still must report to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and that she can be and has been subject to unannounced doping tests.” 

Read More: One thing stands between Therese Johaug and World Championships returns

So, you think that Therese Johaug will have a chance to win gold in the 50km race at the World Championships if she’s allowed to do it?

“Therese Johaug won nine golds out of a possible nine in distance championships between her return from serving her doping sentence and her retirement after the 2022 Olympics.”

Skinstad refers to the following track record: Three golds in the 2019 World Championships: 30km freestyle, 10km classic, and skiathlon. Three golds in the 2021 World Championships: 30km classic, 10km freestyle and skiathlon. Three golds in the 2022 Olympics: 30km freestyle, 10km classic and skiathlon. 

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Gold Favorite

Skinstad immediately gives Johaug the favorite stamp for the World Championships 50km race. 

“For me, it’s obvious that she has qualities that make her a clear gold medal candidate for the World Championships 50km race. She has an oxygen uptake that goes beyond the rest of the field. She has endurance and is so well trained that when she also gets 20 more kilometers compared to the 30km race, she will be hard to beat,” he says, and continues: 

“With that form and as superior as she was when she retired almost two years ago, she would have won a 50km race by a good margin. Even if she has lost a little since then, she will still be the big gold favorite for the World Championships 50km race. Whether she is an equally big favorite for gold in the 10-kilometer classic is not as certain.” 

Won convincingly at the first attempt

On Sunday, March 3, Johaug made her comeback in cross-country ski racing. The 35-year-old, who had not competed in a ski race since winning Skarverennet almost two years ago, won the 17-kilometer Engadin Frauenlauf in Switzerland by a considerable margin. She beat former arch-rival Justyna Kowalczyk by over three and a half minutes. 

The Polish cross-country star may have retired at World Cup level, but she is still active and is at the top of her game in the races she competes in. 

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Even though Johaug has now become a mother and is not competing at the same level, she still trains relatively systematically, runs regular treadmill tests, and has a good idea of her current performance compared to her previous level. 

Skinstad believes that Johaug has such a good grasp of what’s happening in cross-country skiing internationally and nationally, including through her role as a cross-country expert on NRK, that she would still perform well and that this triggers her a little extra. 

“Even though she says that she’s not quite where she was at her peak, Therese sees that if she had competed now, it would have been a walk in the park to win ski races in the World Cup. That’s probably one of the things that helps to trigger her. She sees that the international level in women’s cross-country skiing is not higher than she can manage to win the World Championships 50km. Suppose she had seen that others, such as Ebba Andersson or Frida Karlsson, had made great strides in recent seasons. In that case, she might have left the comeback behind,” says Petter Soleng Skinstad to Langrenn.com. 

The World Ski Championships in Trondheim will be held from February 26 to March 9, 2025.