Bjørgen is one of the people closest to Johaug and is also assistant national team coach.
When the national team gathered at Mosetertoppen in Innlandet a month and a half ago, Bjørgen noticed that not everything was as it should be with her friend.
– Yes. Firstly, I don’t think she was quite like herself at the Mosetertoppen at the start of October, and then a couple more weeks passed. Then I noticed that her tears were a little loose, and then I realized that there was something.
Johaug herself said during Thursday’s press conference at Beitostølen that the training did not go as she wanted, that she was tired and struggled to get enough sleep.
The cross-country star almost had to run away from home to get his profits back.
Rest
– Is it the case that even Johaug has to rest sometimes?
– Yes. At the same time that she will train as well as before and rest in between, which she has handled well before, she is now also a mother, and that is also an additional burden. Getting in two training sessions before 4pm in the afternoon and doing things in between. It doesn’t last long. And as she is aware of herself, she may also have had an infection as well.
Johaug is rarely ill.
– No. It doesn’t turn out, it just simmers with her. Therese is extreme in that case.
– She says she got well soon?
– Yes. She got two weeks of rest and was able to tone down the training a bit. She gained surplus and more sleep. Now she feels that she is functioning again.
No WC consequences
– Could this have consequences for the WC in any way?
– I don’t think this will have any consequences in the run-up to the WC. She took the cues early. This is her challenge. She can stretch the elastic too far, and if you stretch it far too far, it will take longer before you are level again.
– Does Johaug have the necessary control?
– She takes many measurements and knows how she feels. The tears are loose, and you can quickly see it on her when it’s too much. I’ve seen this a few times before too, but she has the ability to pull herself together again, says Bjørgen.