News Detail

News

Therese Johaug is back: Two years after retiring from professional sports, the Norwegian athlete wins the Engadin Women's Race, leading by more than three and a half minutes. Her former Olympic rival Justyna Kowalcyk from Poland came in second; third place went to Seraina Boner from Davos. Tania Arquint, who had crossed the finishing line in third place, was disqualified for using fluor wax on her skis.

For Therese Johaug (35), the first race after her maternity leave ended in a triumph. She set a swift pace from the start, giving her opponents little choice but to let her pull away early in the race. «I wasn't attacking in particular; I was just going at my own pace,» Johaug said at the finish. The four-time Olympic champion raced in a class of her own, and it became apparent quickly that she would win the race.

Teamwork of the chasing pack worked well until Zuoz, according to Seraina Boner, who came in third. The last miles saw Justyna Kowalcyk pull away, with only Tania Arquint able to follow. Her joy over third place was short-lived, however. The International Ski Federation FIS checked the skis of the first six racers and a further random sample of 16 racers for the banned fluor wax. They found fluor wax on Arquint's skis and the skis of three other athletes. All four were disqualified.

Johaug wants to become the first female world champion over 50 kilometres

Whether or not Therese Johaug's victory at the Engadin Women's Race heralds her comeback to professional sports remained somewhat in the dark even after the race on Sunday. A year from now, the Nordic World Championships in Trondheim (NOR) will see women racing over the 50-kilometre distance for the first time. Johaug is tempted to enter the race, as she gave away ahead of the competition in the Engadine Valley. If she were to win, she would not only be adding the 15th world champion title to her credit but also become the first female 50-km world champion in sports history.

She has yet to take a definitive decision about her comeback, says Johaug. Should she decide to tackle the 50-km world championship, she adds, she would focus solely on that race and its qualifying races. She has no intention of taking on a complete World Cup schedule.

23rd Engadin women’s race, Samedan-S-chanf, 17 km

1 Johaug Therese NOR 44.07,7

2 Kowalczyk Justyna POL +3.37,2

3 Boner Seraina Davos Platz (SUI) +4.25,2

4 Barbüda Saskia Ardez (SUI) +4.35,1

5 Ehrenzeller-Jäger Christa Valens (SUI) +4.41,7

6 Gasparin Selina Lantsch (SUI) +5.12,1

7 Kudre-Schnyder Daisy Siat (SUI) +5.28,8

8 Koepfli Naomi Hünenberg See (SUI) +6.09,3

9 Iseppi Annina St. Moritz (SUI) +6.14,0

10 Paalberg Epp St. Moritz (SUI) +6.43,9

See the detailled ranking list