Norwegian cross-country skiing star Therese Johaug back in sport after retiring two years ago

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norwegian cross-country skiing star Therese Johaug is returning to the sport after retiring two years ago, she said on Wednesday.

The former Olympic, World Cup and World Championship winner was once banned after testing positive for an anabolic agent listed in the contents of a treatment for sunburn.

“It still feels like I have something to contribute to the ski track, and the desire to have a starting number on my chest is just as strong,” the 36-year-old Johaug wrote on Instagram.

“After two eventful years on the sidelines, I have again had the opportunity to become part of the cross-country initiative of the Norwegian Skiing Association, and want to give the dream of the World Cup on home ground a chance.”

She said she would line up at the 2025 World Cup in Trondheim, Norway.

Johaug tested positive in October 2016 for the performance-enhancing drug clostebol and was suspended for 18 months, missing the 2018 Winter Olympics. She returned to international competition at the World Cup in 2019.

Two years ago, she announced her retirement from elite cross-country skiing and has since wed Norwegian rower Nils Jakob Hoff and gave birth on May 17, 2023.

“I didn’t quit because I was tired of training out, but the desire to become a mother was so strong. Now I’ve had a daughter and I’m doing absolutely fantastic,” Johaug told a press conference.

Johaug won a combined four Olympic gold medals in Vancouver in 2010 and Beijing in 2022, plus one silver and one bronze at the 2014 Games in Sochi. On top of that she won 14 World Championship golds.

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