OSLO (AP) — Therese Johaug, Norway’s four-time Olympic gold medalist in cross-country skiing, announced her retirement on Monday. The 36-year-old confirmed she will not compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics, choosing to focus on her family instead.
This marks Johaug’s second retirement. She initially stepped away from the sport after winning three gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. However, she made a comeback last season to compete in the Nordic skiing world championships held in Norway.
Had she continued, Johaug would have been participating in her fourth Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo next February. She missed the 2018 Pyeongchang Games due to a doping ban after testing positive for a steroid found in a lip balm.
“It would have been fun to compete in the Olympics in Italy,” Johaug told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. “But I want to be a full-time mom.”
Johaug shares a two-year-old daughter with her partner, Nils Jakob Hoff, a two-time Olympic rower.
Johaug first won Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010. She also earned silver and bronze medals at the 2014 Sochi Games. In addition, she holds 14 world championship titles and won four medals during the recent Nordic World Championships in Trondheim.