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Norway's triple Beijing gold medallist Johaug to retire / Photo: ©
Norway's triple Beijing gold medallist Johaug to retire
Norwegian cross-country skier Therese Johaug has announced she is to retire at the end of the season after winning three Olympic gold medals at last month's Beijing Winter Games.
The 33-year-old, who also won a relay gold at the 2010 Olympics, said on Instagram she wants to focus on other things outside of sport.
"There are still several races to be contested this season but the moment has come to focus on life outside top level sport," she wrote.
Johaug, who won the first gold of the Beijing Games in the skiathlon, will race a 30-kilometre event at Oslo-Holmenkollen on Saturday at the same venue where 11 years ago she won her first of 14 world titles.
"It will be her last 30km in the national colours," the Norwegian ski federation said.
Her triple success in Beijing made up for her disappointment in missing out on the 2018 Olympics. She was given an 18-month suspension after testing positive for a steroid which was in a cream a Norwegian team doctor had given her.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport did not accuse her of cheating but found her guilty of negligence.
She also won 80 individual World Cup races in 244 starts.
However, despite all her success she felt she had to defend herself over her dominance of the sport.
"I try 365 days a year to become a better skier, to progress," she said in February 2020.
"And people say to me that I harm the sport, that it lacks suspense.
"It can be depressing to have to defend oneself all the time."
A.Smith--SFF
