Therese Johaug has not officially confirmed her participation in the 2026 Winter Olympics, but recent developments have sparked renewed speculation. After turning down an upcoming training camp for Olympic hopefuls, a cross-country skiing expert believes the Norwegian star is indeed preparing for a full comeback.

The cross-country skiing expert is confident: Therese Johaug is going all in for the Olympics next winter.

Next week, Olympiatoppen is organizing a training camp in Gran Canaria for athletes who are candidates for the 2026 Olympics. Therese Johaug will not be attending. The 36-year-old has declined the invitation.

This is confirmed by her manager, Jørn Ernst.

“She will not be attending the camp. That was decided early in the planning process,” he wrote in a text message to TV2.

A clear YES

Johaug’s reasoning is that the camp comes too early in the training season. Cross-country expert Petter Soleng Skinstad sees this as a clear sign that Johaug has decided to pursue the Olympics next winter.

“I don’t see the point of making the decision not to attend the camp unless she plans to go for the Olympics. To put it simply: if she had decided to retire, she wouldn’t have been invited. And if she hadn’t been invited, she wouldn’t need to decline,” Skinstad told Langrenn.com.

“It’s like being invited to a wedding – if you can’t attend, you send your regrets. If you’re not invited, there’s no need to respond.”

Formal decision coming Monday

Therese Johaug has said she will officially announce whether she is aiming for the 2026 Olympics on Monday, May 26.

Read More: Johaug to announce future plans next Monday

But if she’s aiming for the Olympics, why is she saying no to a camp specifically for Olympic prospects?

“The issue with the Olympiatoppen camp is that it’s scheduled just a few days before the national cross-country teams begin their traditional kickoff camp at Sognefjellet,” says Skinstad.

He points out that several other Olympic hopefuls have also declined the Gran Canaria camp, including Heidi Weng and Kristine Stavås Skistad.

Has every chance to win gold

Skinstad believes Johaug has a strong chance of avenging her medal haul from this past winter’s World Championships in Trondheim with a better performance at the Olympics in Val di Fiemme. He is convinced that equipment and snow conditions cost her at least two victories in the three individual events at the Trondheim World Championships.

“Precise GPS data from Trondheim shows that Therese lost a lot of time to Ebba in flat terrain and downhill sections. So, if Therese has competitive skis and normal snow conditions in Val di Fiemme, she has every chance to win gold at the Olympics,” Skinstad told Langrenn.com.

And that’s exactly why the camp at Sognefjellet in early June is so much more important for Johaug than Olympiatoppen’s camp in Gran Canaria.

“Therese needs to spend a lot of time on skis. She needs to work on her ski fleet and her technique. She’ll be able to do that at Sognefjellet, and the conditions there are very similar to what we expect in Val di Fiemme,” the cross-country expert says.

“It has bothered me a lot”

The medal haul from the World Championships – three silver and one bronze – was not what she had hoped for. She has been crystal clear about that.

“That 50km race in Trondheim. It has bothered me a lot. I’ll admit that my dream was that 50km in Trondheim, and then the day came, and the course and conditions are what they are. I really feel like I couldn’t show what I was capable of.”

The 2026 Olympics will be held from February 4 to 22. The cross-country events will take place in Val di Fiemme, a venue where Johaug has previously performed well and where she feels at home. The veteran skier currently holds 14 World Championship golds and 4 Olympic golds.

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