Norwegian cross-country skiing star Therese Johaug had doubts about traveling to Beijing for the Winter Olympics because of worries about COVID-19, but she eventually overcame her fears and will try to add the first individual gold to her collection.
Therese Johaug already has a gold medal in the relay in Vancouver 2010 Olympics, as well as silver and bronze medals in individual competitions in Sochi 2014 Olympics.
The 14-time world champion told Norwegian state television that her participation in Beijing was not at all certain if she already had a gold medal in the individual events.
“This is one of the greatest things that every athlete dreams of achieving”, said Therese Johaug, who is not competing in the Pyongyang 2018 Olympics because she was accused of using steroids in September 2016. “Individual gold is what I need in my collection of awards and Beijing 2022 is the perfect place to achieve it”, added she.
After the Norwegian cross-country skiers changed their original plan for the trip due to positive COVID-19 tests in the team, Therese Johaug can already be seen in the Olympic Village on Wednesday morning. But the danger of an outbreak of the new coronavirus remains.
“I have to admit that the last week was filled with a lot of fear that maybe this Olympics will not be real for me, that I will get sick. Let me tell you, on some nights I dreamed of tests for COVID-19 and others”, added Therese Johaug.
The first chance for her to win the individual gold was this Saturday when the women’s skiathlon started in Zhangjiakou, about 200 kilometers northwest of Beijing.
Therese Johaug is a Norwegian cross-country skier who has competed for the clubs Tynset IF and IL Nansen. In world championships, she has won ten individual gold medals along with three gold medals in relays and she is a three-time Olympic medallist.
