Therese Johaug returns to competition after giving birth, defeating Heidi Weng in a pure cross-country showdown for victory at the Sentrumsløpet on Saturday afternoon.

Three months after giving birth to her second child, Therese Johaug made her comeback at the elite level, winning the Sentrumsløpet ahead of Heidi Weng.

The two skiers were together throughout the race until Johaug made a decisive long sprint to win by nine seconds.

There is no doubt that she gave it her all, as Johaug lay on the ground for a long time after crossing the finish line before she got up to speak with the announcer.

“It was incredibly fun to race. 33:15, I’m happy with that. There was a lot of wind today,” Johaug said live after her victory, according to Langrenn.com.

Johaug admitted she was nervous about her comeback race. “It’s been a year since I last competed,” she said before the start.

Behind Johaug and Weng, there was over a minute gap to Hanna Kristine Larsen from SK Vidar in third place.

In the men’s category, Sjur Prestsæter from SK Vidar won with an 11-second margin over clubmate Ådne Andersen.

Lost the team competition

Even though Johaug won the Sentrumsløpet, she lost the internal team competition against her podcast partner Emil Gukild. The two competed with their own teams in Saturday’s race.

Johaug’s team included Vita Mashadi (50:41), Kasoer Kvello (40:04), and Stian “Staysman” Thorbjørnsen (48:11).

Gukild’s team featured Wamda Mashadi (45:52), Even Sjamel, and Sondre Sundby (DNS).

Sentrumsløpet 2026 Results

Top 3 Women, 10km

1. Therese Johaug, 33:15
2. Heidi Weng, IL I BUL, 33:24
3. Hanna Kristine Larsen, SK Vidar. +1:16

Full results

Top 3 Men, 10km

1. Sjur Prestsæter, SK Vidar, 29:45
2. Ådne Andersen, SK Vidar, +11
3. Magnus Brynsrud, Janus Ski- og løpeklubb, +1:05

Full results

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