Angry Johaug: – Glad you weren't in my house then

Therese Johaug recently revealed that she had to pull the emergency brake after feeling that the overall strain had become too much this autumn. This led to frustration for the skiing star, who suspects she may have been ill.

Johaug noticed something was off after a 'rather poor session' on the treadmill, suspecting it might be illness.

"It’s possible I also had a viral infection in my body that hasn’t fully shown itself. To feel so poorly before bouncing back just a bit with some extra sleep, made me wonder. So, it could be that I had something in my body that made me feel a bit tired for a while," Johaug shared at Thursday’s press conference ahead of the season opener in Beitostølen.

Johaug expressed irritation at having to reduce her training volume and load.

"I think you’re glad you weren’t in my house then," Johaug said regarding how the mood was at home. "At that point, I was angry. I was on the treadmill having an interval session. I shouldn't repeat the same words here as back then, but at that moment I knew it was too much."

She justifies her decision to pull the emergency brake by saying she hasn’t been getting enough sleep for an extended period.

"I haven’t really gotten more than six hours of continuous sleep. I’ve been up a lot at night to check on Kristin (her daughter), and there were other non-sporting things going on. That said, I have been training a lot, averaging 100 hours a month in addition to my other commitments."

The season opener in Beitostølen kicks off on Friday with sprints for both men and women. Saturday features the 10 km classic for both genders, concluding with the 10 km freestyle on Sunday.