© KEYSTONE / EPA / KIMIMASA MAYAMA
Therese Johaug won her third Beijing Olympics title on Sunday.
The Norwegian, already crowned in skiathlon and in the 10 km classic, won the 30 km in skating. The only Swiss entered in this last long-distance event, Lydia Hiernickel finished 27th, losing more than seven minutes.
Titled for the first time in the relay at the Vancouver Games in 2010, Therese Johaug flew over the debates on Sunday to win the fourth Olympic title of her career at the age of 33. The Norwegian placed a decisive acceleration following less than 10 km, then dropping her last rivals Jessie Diggins and Ebba Andersson.
Therese Johaug, who offered Norway a record 16th title in these Games, won 1’43”3 ahead of American Jessie Diggins (2nd). The bronze went to the Finnish Kerttu Niskanen, who notably took advantage of the failure of Ebba Andersson (8th) in the last hectometres.
Three titles, like Bolshunov
Deprived of the PyeongChang Olympics following a positive doping test when she was at the top of her game, Therese Johaug thus achieved the same feat as Alexander Bolshunov on the snow of Zhangjiakou with three gold medals. But the woman with 14 world titles has won them all individually.
