Therese Johaug powered her way to a commanding victory in the women’s skiathlon in cross country skiing, the first medal event of Beijing 2022. However, behind the celebrations of her victory lie the past troubles of her storied career, including a doping suspension that kept her out of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Johaug was sidelined from the 2018 Winter Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled to extend a ban she had originally received for a doping infraction.
She tested positive for the metabolite of clostebol after using a cream purchased by her team doctor that was intended to treat her sunburnt lips. The packaging of the cream she used included a doping warning. The Norwegian has maintained a claim of innocence, claiming that she unknowingly violated anti-doping rules.
An excerpt of the CAS ruling read, “Having reviewed the matter in full, the Panel noted that Ms Johaug failed to conduct a basic check of the packaging, which not only listed a prohibited substance as an ingredient but also included clear doping cautionary warning.”
It continued, “such omissions resulted in an anti-doping rule violation inconsistent with her otherwise clean anti-doping record. Nevertheless, in order to ensure equality in applying anti-doping rules, the Panel highlighted that it was obliged to apply a proportionate sanction, consistent with the level of fault.”
The sanction applied was enough to keep Johaug out of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The Norwegian was in a celebratory mood after her win on Saturday, however, commenting, “this means an incredible amount, this is what I have been training for many, many years,” according to Reuters.
She added, It’s been a dream since I was a little girl. Today I could cross the finish line and know that I am an Olympic champion. It is huge.”
Johaug had previously won an Olympic gold medal in the team relay, but her victory in the skiathlon represented her first individual win at the Winter Olympics. Her career highlights include 4 Olympic medals (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze), 14 world championships, and three overall World Cup championships.