If everything goes according to plan, Therese Johaug will have barely faced her competitors before she lines up for the World Championships in Trondheim in March.

When Therese Johaug announced her comeback at the beginning of August, she made it clear that it is important for her to aim for the World Championships as part of the national team. 

Read More: Johaug is back!

Now, she’s outlining a preparation plan where she will only occasionally participate in team training camps and joint training sessions. The 36-year-old also plans to participate in a minimum number of races leading up to the Worlds.

Johaug herself defends her plan. She is neither afraid of a lack of competition nor of not being able to measure up to the level.

“In 2022, I barely raced from mid-December until I lined up at the Olympics. That was two months without competitions. I know I don’t need others to get that level of competition because I am at the level I want and should be,” Johaug told VG and continued:

“I can do test races here in Holmenkollen and push myself. I have been used to training on my own and taking responsibility for myself.”

Also Read – Swedes warn Johaug: “The level is higher now”  

The story continues below.

Plans for Four Race Weekends

As Johaug sees it, four race weekends before the World Championships should be enough both to secure her place on the World Championships team and to get the competitive training she needs. This is despite not having competed in the World Cup for almost three years.

Also Read – Cross-country skiing expert: “Johaug just needs one good race, and she’s in the team”

These are the four race weekends Therese Johaug envisions participating in:

• The national season opener in Beitostølen from November 22 to 24: Both distance races (10km classic and 10km freestyle)
• The World Cup opener in Ruka from November 29 to December 1: 10km classic and 20km freestyle mass start
• The World Cup in Lillehammer from December 6 to 8: 10km freestyle and 20km skiathlon
• The first part of the Norwegian Championships in Hamar: 10km classic and 20km skiathlon

Johaug is considering possibly competing in the final World Cup round before Christmas, which takes place in Davos, Switzerland. However, she will not participate in the Tour de Ski, and likely not in any World Cup stages between New Year and the World Championships either.

This means that her international competitors will barely get a chance to race against the Norwegian cross-country skiing star before the World Championships in Trondheim.

In the championship itself, it is primarily the 50km race that motivates Johaug, but national team coach Sjur Ole Svarstad is clear that she could be a candidate for all the distance races in the World Championships: 20km skiathlon (March 2), 10km classic (March 4), the relay (March 6), and 50km freestyle (March 9).

Here you can find the cross-country skiing program for the Trondheim World Championships.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.