Therese Johaug is the great cross-country skiing queen when it comes to distance, but in sprint, she has not been equally successful.
She last skied a World Cup sprint in Finnish Ruka in 2020. Then she finished last among those who advanced from the prologue.
And now it's time again. The tour begins on Saturday in Italian Toblach with a sprint, in freestyle.
Oh god! I'm scared, says Johaug laughing when she meets the press before the competition.
The plan was initially to opt out of the Tour de Ski, but the 36-year-old felt that she needed to get more competitions in her body before the winter's big goal, the home World Championship in Trondheim, and therefore she will start in the seven-stage long tour.
We looked at the overall picture and weighed the pros and cons. It's almost two months from when the tour is finished until the skiathlon competition in the World Championship. I have plenty of time to land at home and if you get sick during or after the Tour de Ski, you have time and opportunity to recover before the World Championship starts, says Johaug.
