Therese Johaug returned to competitive racing with a victory in the women's 10-kilometer event at Sentrumsløpet in Oslo, according to multiple reports. She finished with a time of 33 minutes and 15 seconds, nine seconds ahead of Heidi Weng, who had won the previous year's race with a time of 33.30. The race marked Johaug's first competition since giving birth to her second child on January 10.
According to NRK Norge, Johaug described the experience as "incredibly fun" and expressed satisfaction with her time given the windy conditions. She noted that she had trained specifically for the event and felt focused once she put on her race number. Johaug also admitted that it felt "absolutely terrible" to have gone a year without competing, but she had set a goal of running 33 flat, acknowledging that Weng was the big favorite.
It was incredibly fun to run. 33.15 I am satisfied with, there was a lot of wind today.
Heidi Weng, for her part, told NRK Norge that she was excited but regretted her decision to race, though her goal was to set a personal record. She noted that Johaug had been training more than her recently.
In the men's race, Sjur Krystad Prestsæter won with a time of 29 minutes and 45 seconds, according to multiple reports. The event drew approximately 20,000 spectators, who closed Oslo's streets for several hours.
I wanted to do well today, and I have trained for this. There is something about getting a race number on your chest, you become very focused on what you are going to do.
Several details remain unclear, including Weng's exact finishing time, the margin between Johaug and Weng at each checkpoint, and how the wind affected overall race times. The men's winning margin and the total number of participants have also not been confirmed.
It feels absolutely terrible, now it's been a year since I last competed.
I have said that the goal is 33 flat. It could be that I think I am better than I am. But Heidi is the big favorite.
I am excited, regret it a little right now. But the goal is to set a personal record today. And I have noted that Therese has been running more than me lately.