Therese Johaug is a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 cross-country skier

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

. Johaug has competed for the clubs Tynset IF

Tynset IF

Tynset Idrettsforening is a Norwegian sports club from Tynset, Hedmark. It has sections for association football, team handball, orienteering, speed skating, skiing and swimming....

 and IL Nansen

IL Nansen

Idrettslaget Nansen is a Norwegian sports club from Dalsbygda in Os, Hedmark, founded in 1898.World-level cross-country skiers Annar Ryen and Therese Johaug had been members of the club....

.

Athletic career

After skiing some domestic races in the 2006 season, Johaug took part at the Norwegian Championships in 2007, winning a bronze at the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit event. She was selected for two World Cup

FIS Cross-Country World Cup

The FIS Cross-Country World Cup is an annual cross-country skiing competition, arranged by the International Ski Federation since 1981. The competition was arranged unofficially between 1973 and 1981, although it received provisional recognition on the 31...

 races prior to the World Championships, finishing eighth and 33rd in two interval start races over 10 km, which was enough to be selected for competition in the 30 km distance at the 2007 Sapporo World Championships where she won a surprising bronze medal

Bronze medal

A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

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At the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, she won gold in the 4 x 5 km relay

Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's 4 x 5 kilometre relay

The women's 4 x 5 kilometre relay cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada was held on 25 February at Whistler Olympic Park at 11:15 PST....

, sixth in the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit

Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's 15 kilometre pursuit

The women's 7.5 kilometre + 7.5 kilometre double pursuit cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada was held on 19 February at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia at 13:00 PST....

 and seventh in the 30 km mass start

Cross-country skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's 30 kilometre classical

The women's 30 kilometre classical cross-country skiing competition at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada was held on 27 February at Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia at 11:45 PST....

 race.

Johaug won her first individual gold medal in the 30 km mass start

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 – Women's 30 kilometre freestyle

The Women's 30 kilometre freestyle at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2011 was held on 5 March 2011 at 12:00 CET. Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk is both the defending world and Olympic champion. Norwegian Therese Johaug won after a dash in the steepest hills giving her the lead for most of the...

 race at the 2011 World Championships in Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

. She also won gold in the 4 x 5 km relay, bronze in the 7.5 km + 7.5 km double pursuit and fourth in the 10 km individual start.