Therese Johaug bounces back and crushes Frida Karlsson in Lillehammer: – Answer to the challenge!

Therese Johaug took her first World Cup victory in 1000 days, triumphing in the 10-kilometer race in Lillehammer. Johaug set a blistering pace from the start and led from the first checkpoint, ultimately finishing 11.4 seconds ahead of fellow Norwegian Heidi Weng, who placed second. Astrid Øyre Slind completed a Norwegian podium sweep in third place.

In a post-race interview, Johaug expressed her excitement, stating, "It's absolutely fantastic. It’s incredibly fun to have a race like this at home."

Frida Karlsson, who had previously triumphed over Johaug in the World Cup opener in Ruka, struggled to keep pace during this race and ended up fourth, finishing 46.4 seconds behind Johaug.

Johaug's victory was seen as a significant response to Swedish journalist Tomas Pettersson, who had labeled her as the "only loser" after the Ruka event. In her victory interview, Johaug humorously recounted a message from her assistant coach Pål Gunnar Mikkelsplass during the race, which encouraged her to channel the criticism into performance: "You are a loser, but today you will win!"

With this event marking a triumphant return, Johaug is set to compete in the sprint tomorrow, with the World Cup weekend in Lillehammer concluding with a 20-kilometer ski change race on Sunday.