Marit Bjørgen Opens Up About Therese Johaug's Struggles: – Tears Were Flowing

Marit Bjørgen, aged 44, has opened up about her close friend and fellow skier Therese Johaug, aged 36, noting that she noticed something was off with Johaug just before the latter had to hit the brakes on her training.

Bjørgen is one of Johaug's closest allies and also serves as an assistant coach for the national team. During a training camp at Mosetertoppen in early October, Bjørgen sensed that Johaug was not quite herself. "At first, I thought she didn't seem entirely herself at Mosetertoppen in early October, and then it was a couple of weeks later. I noticed that she was tearing up a bit, which made me realize something was wrong," she explained.

Johaug shared during a press conference at Beitostølen that her training wasn't going as planned, and she felt fatigued and struggled to get enough sleep. She even had to leave her home temporarily to regain her balance.

Bjørgen emphasized that balancing intense training while being a new mother adds pressure, which makes it challenging to fit in two training sessions before 4 PM.

Johaug rarely gets sick. However, when it does happen, it lingers without fully manifesting. "She doesn't need to worry about her performance heading into the World Championships. She acknowledged her challenges early on," Bjørgen added, stating that Johaug is capable of bouncing back, as she has the necessary self-awareness to monitor her condition closely.