– Sjur Ole, you must speak up! That doesn’t work. Johaug did not get the best charge before the test run, which is a simulation of the WC distance of 10 kilometers classic, which is a few months away. During the warm-up, she had to brake on the downhill towards the stadium to avoid a collision with a construction machine, which was still working in the track network. She was clearly worried and frantically pointed in the direction of the heavy vehicle, just after it swerved off the route. – He Daniel will take it now, replied national team coach Sjur Ole Svarstad, without her hearing it. – Sjur Ole, we have to be sure that no machines are running on the course. So, no, oh my God… – That doesn’t work. Now I get scared, as it were, says Johaug, while she asked if the coach could cut the tip of the stick. Gave a clear message When her pulse calmed down after the race, she admits that she was scared. – I told Sjur Ole that he had to say that there are no trucks to drive on the trail when we get on the roller skis and test. Then I think it had boiled a bit in the cylinder head. When asked by news about the forklift’s entry into the WC courses, race leader Daniel Helgestad replied with a smile: – The agreement is that it will be a test run, so it was probably just a time adjustment. Now they are off the trail. Picked runner after runner With freshly pointed spikes and forklifts out of the slopes, there was nothing that stood in Johaug’s way. It was a battle against the clock. On the starting line were Tiril Udnes Weng, Julie Myhre, Margrethe Bergane, Lotta Udnes Weng and Johaug. The start intervals were 30 seconds. The former underwent a controlled session. The rest went to the max. She went last out of the starters, but only one resisted in the end. – I certainly enjoyed this, says Johaug after the race. – It was hard and brutal, but there are incredibly good experiences to take with me. Svarstad’s results list: Sjur Ole Svarstad had these results: 1. Therese Johaug, 30.36 2. Lotta Udnes Weng, +19 seconds 3. Margrethe Bergane, +2.10 minutes 4. Julie Myhre, +2.54 Lotta Udnes Weng impressed and was the only one who went in goal before Johaug. The form looks good before Trondheim. Warning before the World Cup – It is as close as it is possible to get, so this will be very relevant, said national team coach Sjur Ole Svarstad to news before the start. The ten kilometer long test race went over two laps of five kilometers on the WC trails, only small adjustments away from the winter’s route. – I checked this morning that Victoria Carl went in 28.13 minutes this winter, so we’ll see how far behind I am, joked Johaug, who didn’t quite believe that the roller skis would be as fast. A LOT TO THINK ABOUT: Mum Gro and daughter Kristin saw Johaug getting ready for the test run. There is something more to be controlled before the race. Photo: Anders Skjerdingstad / news Of course they weren’t on wet asphalt, but maybe Johaug got the answers she wanted. Not the main priority 10 kilometer classic is one of the WC distances, but the 36-year-old prioritizes skating towards the championship. The reason is that the debut exercise for the women, five thousand, is in free technique and is the one in which she has the highest desire to bring home the gold. – It is clear that, I know what I can be good at in 10 kilometer classic on a good day, and I have proven that before. If I’m in such a position that I can join and fight up there, then I want to join, says Johaug, who convinced in the test race. If Johaug is selected and chooses to walk the same distances as she did in the Beijing Olympics, the program in Trondheim will look like this: March 2: 20 kilometers with ski change March 4: 10 kilometers classic March 7: 4×7.5 kilometers relay on 9 March: 50 kilometer free technique Therese Johaug and the national team women open the season with a race at Beitostølen from 22 to 24 November. You can watch the races on news. NB! Please note that Therese Johaug was a cross-country expert for news for the last two seasons. The employment relationship ended in early spring 2024 when she made a comeback as a performer. Published 18.10.2024, at 10.03 Updated 18.10.2024, at 10.40
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