Norway wins first gold of Beijing 2022 in Women's Skiathlon.

Therese Johaug of Team Norway celebrates crossing the finish line to win the gold medal during the Women's Cross Country 7.5km + 7.5km Skiathlon on Day 1 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at The National Cross-Country Skiing Centre on February 05, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Therese Johaug made her greatest downfall turn golden at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games Saturday. Coming back into the competition since her suspension, the Norwegian put the pedal to the medal, taking the first gold of the Olympics in the Women’s 15km Skiathlon at the Zhangjiakou National Cross Country Skiing Centre. ROC athlete Natalia Neprayeva took the silver, with Austrian Teresa Stadlober grabbing bronze. American Jessie Diggins made a very strong performance finishing sixth. 

Charlotte Kalla and Krista Parmakoski returned vying to repeat as medalists, with the Swede going for a third consecutive in the event. The Finn was more than prepared to give the defending champion a run for her money, but their dismal finishes at the world championships left more than to be desired. Conditions on the course were far from favorable, making it an ultimate challenge for even the best skiers. 

The US took the helm early, with Diggins and teammate Rosie Brennan close behind. Kalla sat back in 16th, with Parmakoski running in the top ten. The Finn took the lead before the 2.5km mark, leading the pack down the hill on the opening lap. The Americans kept within the top 12 as the women struggled with the high altitude and hard-packed snow, with many of the popular athletes falling back. Johaug got out front coming down the hill, taking them back up after five kilometers. 

The Americans were out of the running while the top five consisted of Scandinavians, who came to the halfway point to change into their other pair of skis. Diggins made it in tenth, coming to the 7.5km mark almost where she was four years ago. She sat back nearly a minute from the leaders, who were going up the hill with the Norwegian continuing to lead. Niskanen and Parmakoski ran second and third, with the Swedes right behind them. 

After a kilometer, Johaug turned on the accelerator widening the gap between herself and the others. Parmakoski and Karlsson were close together until the hill at the 10k mark, where the Swede opened the gap from Niskanen and the defending bronze medalist. Diggins ran in eighth, staying within reach of the remaining leaders. With Johaug completely out of reach, Karlsson was the new target for everyone to overtake as they reached 11 kilometers with three to go. 

Diggins was 30 seconds from the silver and bronze competitors, taking her out of the equation. At the 12.6km mark, it was four skiers with Niskanen, Nepryeva, Karlsson, and Stadlober in the hunt. Johaug came into the stadium for the last time finishing alone with a time of 44:13.7. Neprayeva and Stadlober fought for silver and bronze with the Russian coming in second and the Austrian in third three tenths back. Diggins had a lot of be proud of coming in sixth, beating Parmakoski to the line.