Therese Johaug delivered yet another impressive win. On Sunday, she completed the brutal 32-kilometer Lofoten Skyrace in 3 hours and 40 minutes.

Johaug was nearly ten minutes faster than her former national teammate Tuva Toftdahl Staver, who finished second. Johaug now signals a forthcoming clarification on a possible comeback for the Ski World Championships in Trondheim.

Biathlete Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold, who was on the podium at the Lofoten Skyrace last year, finished seventh. Former cross-country skier Simen Østensen placed fourth, three and a half minutes off the podium in the men’s class.

Top 3 Women 32km

1. Therese Johaug, SK Vidar/Hoka, 3:40:42
2. Tuva Toftdahl Staver, Oslo, +9:44
3. Eva Simonsen, Nbro Running, +15:23

Full results, all classes

Still Uncertain About World Championship Comeback

At the end of April, Johaug’s manager, Jørn Ernst, announced that she would soon clarify her future and whether she would accept the national team spot that is ready for her. Now, Ernst tells NTB that a decision will come at the beginning of August.

The traditional cross-country skiing star, who retired from World Cup-level competition after the 2022 Olympic season, has hinted several times that she is tempted by the idea of a comeback for the home World Championships next winter. The 36-year-old, who became a mother a year ago, says she misses competing.

Also Read: Johaug opens up about World Championships comeback

During the Norwegian national team’s training camp, national team coach Ole Svarstad said he is optimistic, and both hopes and believes that the start will opt for a comeback.

Johaug is training as if she is aiming for a comeback. She has won everything she has participated in since she first donned a start number again in March. She has “approval” for a World Championship comeback at home. She has a national team spot waiting for her.

Incredible Competition Spring

So far, the competition experiences this spring have given her good feedback that her form and capacity have barely changed in the two years since she retired: Therese Johaug dominated her competitors.

Johaug is definitely good enough for the national cross-country team. First, she crushed former rival Justyna Kowalczyk in the 17-kilometer Engadin Frauenlauf in Switzerland the first weekend of March.

Then, she outpaced the World Cup elite in the 30km Norwegian Championships, her second ski race after retiring from World Cup-level competition in the spring of 2022. She crushed the competition and won by nearly three minutes.

Read More: Dominant win for Johaug at the Norwegian Championships

On May 1st, she won the Grue Half Marathon in dominant style, with a star-studded starting field and her first attempt at the distance. She was over seven minutes ahead of the second-fastest runner, and Johaug herself believed she could have run faster with more experience. She was also under a minute behind the European Championship requirement for the half marathon.

Also Read: Cross-country expert: “Johaug just needs one good race, and she’s in the team”