UPDATED: Johaug (NOR) slays skiathlon in Lillehammer as comeback gains pace

While the Men’s 20km Skiathlon provided a photo finish at the FIS Cross Country World Cup in Lillehammer on Sunday morning, it was an afternoon stroll for Therese Johaug (NOR) in the women’s race.

Returning to the competitive racing this season after a two-year absence with her place as a legend of the sport already secured, Johaug’s second victory of the weekend proved she is not here just to make up the numbers on her comeback. Yet few of her 84 World Cup career wins can have been more dominant than this.

After soft, snowy conditions on Friday and Saturday, firmer, faster conditions greeted the athletes for the skiathlon with blue skies overhead by the time the women headed out. The edges of the tracks had also hardened up, though, with one particularly sharp left-hand corner proving treacherous on a tough, technical course in Lillehammer.

Lining up on the front row of a blanket start alongside reigning World Cup champion and leader Jessie Diggins (USA), Johaug rolled back the years by leading from the front.

At first, compatriots Heidi Weng and Astrid Oeyre Slind, along with Diggins and Sweden’s Ebba Andersson (SWE), stuck with Johaug. But the 36-year-old made her move on the fourth and final lap of the classic 10km to lead by 6.8 seconds before changing smoothly into her freestyle skis.

In theory, the chasing quartet should have been able to work together to close the gap, by taking it in turns to lead the pursuit and use each other’s draft.

Instead, Johaug just moved further and further away: 28.9 seconds was the lead after the first 3.3km lap of freestyle; 49.4s after the second. She even could afford to ease off and wave to the crowd coming into the stadium (pictured, top) before finishing 42.6 seconds ahead of Weng, who held off Diggins to finish second.

Andersson was a further four seconds back, Slind another three.

“It was amazing,” Johaug said. “This was my best race day after my comeback. With every competition, I feel that I’m coming in better shape. I’m so happy with the race today. My body was good, my technique was better and the skis were great, so it’s going up and up. I need competitions.”

Diggins, despite being left in Johaug’s wake, was also happy with third place. “It was awesome. With the exception of Trondheim last season, the last Skiathlon I did was at the [Beijing 2022] Olympics. It’s so fun, such a cool challenge to go from classic skiing to suddenly be skating. You have to regroup, remember to bring your poles up higher – there’s so much thinking.”

“On the final lap, I just thought ‘I’ve got to go for it’, and was trying to execute a good sling shot coming into the stadium. I didn’t quite do it, but I was really proud of my effort.

“I knew I had to stay close in the classic and the techs gave me skis with amazing grip  and that was everything I needed.”

“I know everyone is in great shape, so I knew if I tried to go with Therese I would probably blow up and not have a good race at all. I want to be gutsy but also ski within myself so that I can ski to my full potential instead of falling off the edge of a cliff, so I tried to ski smart but really hard. It was so fun sprinting it out with Heidi [Weng]. We have a thing, ‘Team 1991’, which is still going strong. We’re still here, racing really hard, and I think that’s really, really cool.”

Diggins still leads the World Cup standings ahead of Jonna Sundling (SWE) and Johaug.

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup season continues in Davos, Switzerland on Friday 13 December with the Men’s and Women’s Team Sprints.

To watch all the action, click here

For the full results from Lillehammer, click here

• Last season’s Crystal Globe winner Jessie Diggins (USA) leads the World Cup standings on 493 points, ahead of Sweden’s Jonna Sundling (438) and Therese Johaug (NOR, 432)

• Davos, Switzerland was the middle stop on the Tour de Ski last season, but moves to earlier in the calendar this time with three days of racing instead of two; Sprint Relays have been added

• Linn Svahn (SWE) won the Sprint Freestyle in Davos last season, with Kerttu Niskanen (FIN)  taking the 20km Classic Pursuit

• Johaug has six World Cup victories in Davos, five over 10K and one at 15K