American cross-country skiing star Jessie Diggins closed out her Olympic career with a grueling 50-kilometer race at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, leaving a legacy as the most decorated U.S. skier in the sport's history.
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Doctors wish they wouldn'tSocial media companies face legal reckoning over mental health harms to childrenBuddhist monks rally in Sri Lanka to pressure the government for a wider role in affairs of stateGobiernos y empresas en vilo tras el fallo de la Corte Suprema de EEUU sobre aranceles de TrumpJessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross country skiing women’s 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Silver medalist Ebba Andersson, of Sweden, from left, gold medalist Frida Karlsson, of Sweden, and bronze medalist Jessie Diggins, of the United States, pose for a selfie on the podium of the cross country skiing women’s 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Kerttu Niskanen, of Finland, from right, Teresa Stadlober, of Austria, Jessie Diggins, of the United States, and Nadja Kaelin, of Switzerland, compete in the cross country skiing women’s 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women’s team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women’s team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross country skiing women’s 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross country skiing women’s 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Silver medalist Ebba Andersson, of Sweden, from left, gold medalist Frida Karlsson, of Sweden, and bronze medalist Jessie Diggins, of the United States, pose for a selfie on the podium of the cross country skiing women’s 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Silver medalist Ebba Andersson, of Sweden, from left, gold medalist Frida Karlsson, of Sweden, and bronze medalist Jessie Diggins, of the United States, pose for a selfie on the podium of the cross country skiing women’s 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Kerttu Niskanen, of Finland, from right, Teresa Stadlober, of Austria, Jessie Diggins, of the United States, and Nadja Kaelin, of Switzerland, compete in the cross country skiing women’s 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Kerttu Niskanen, of Finland, from right, Teresa Stadlober, of Austria, Jessie Diggins, of the United States, and Nadja Kaelin, of Switzerland, compete in the cross country skiing women’s 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women’s team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women’s team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women’s team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women’s team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. crossed the line Sunday as she has done so often over 15 years on the world stage — with the tank entirely empty.“If you had told me even a year ago, I’d be in the fight for a bronze medal in a 50k classic, I would not have believed you,” she said. “I can confidently say I could not possibly have tried harder or gotten more out of my body.” It marked the final Olympic event for an athlete who transformed American cross‑country skiing and became a symbol of endurance. With glitter still streaked across her cheeks, the world’s top‑ranked women’s cross country skier said she was thankful for all the people who had helped her reach this stage in a career that started while she was still at high school in Minnesota. “I am full of gratitude, joy and love and it’s just been so special. It’s taken so much work from so many people to get me here,” she said. “I’m really happy with how I’m leaving it because it was an amazing last Olympics.”in cross-country skiing with team sprint partner Kikkan Randall at PyeongChang in 2018, adding a silver and bronze at the Beijing Games four years later., she again raced to a podium position, finishing third in the 10-kilometer interval start despite suffering painful rib bruising from a crash in her opening race.Diggins hung in the lead group with eventual gold medalist Ebba Andersson, of Sweden, but fell behind when she took a spill after changing her skis at the start of the third lap. She pushed through serious muscle cramps in the second half of the race to be in a chase group that could never close the big gap behind Andersson, or catch second-place finisher, Norway’s Heidi Weng, but were all in a battle for third. On the final climb, the wax on Diggins’ skis couldn’t seem to hold the grip necessary for her to pass Switzerland’s Nadja Kaelin, who won bronze.“I’m just so proud of being gritty and being able to give my best and not just in a bib, off the snow as well, doing what I need to do to be a good human and try to make the world a little bit better,” she said. In Italy, she also leaned into levity — joining choreographed dances with younger U.S. teammates in online posts. As a senior figure on the team, she has paired intensity with openness, encouraging younger athletes to race fiercely but stay grounded. Although this was her final Olympic appearance, Diggins still has a mission in her final competitive season. The most decorated cross‑country skier in U.S. history leaves Italy still focused on the World Cup season. Holding the overall lead, she will return to the circuit in the coming days to pursue another crystal globe, with final races this season taking place March 19-22 in Lake Placid, New York. Ronn Randall, the father of her gold-medal teammate, Kikkan, had come from Alaska to watch the Olympics and was impressed by the effort Diggins still pours into each event. “She seems to have the attitude that she wants to take part in all these like one last time and really give it one last shot,” he said. “I don’t know whether she’s going to come away sad because she didn’t win races or didn’t get a medal or whether she’s just going to be happy that she gave absolutely every bit she could in the given situation.”
2026 Milan Cortina Olympic Games Cross Country Skiing Olympic Games Italy MN State Wire Minnesota 2026 Winter Olympics Nadja Kaelin Eating Disorders Sports Ebba Andersson Winter Olympic Games Sweden Heidi Weng
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