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Win or lose, Jessie Diggins plans to celebrate her last Olympics.
More than 40 friends and family are traveling to the Milan Cortina Winter Games to watch America’s most decorated cross-country skier chase Olympic glory one last time.
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The 34-year-old Minnesota native is retiring at the end of the season, and looking forward to finally getting some rest.
“I’m really excited to have a whole weekend off,” Diggins told The Associated Press from the U.S. team’s training base in Livigno, Italy.
“I realize that sounds kind of crazy, but … I haven’t had two days in a row that are actually mine in a very long time. So that’s going to feel really special.”
Before that, she enters her fourth Olympics as the top challenger to the traditionally dominant Nordic skiers. With gold, silver, and bronze medals already to her name, Diggins is a strong favorite to add to her collection in Milan Cortina. Along the World Cup circuit this year, growing clusters of U.S. teammates have gathered to cheer her on, a presence that’s coincided with her retaining the lead in the overall women’s standings.
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“It was so cool — just feeling so much love across different sports,” Diggins said after winning her third overall Tour de Ski title in northern Italy this month. “It’s been really awesome.”
She returned to the podium last weekend in Goms, Switzerland, at the final World Cup meet before the Olympics, where she finished second in the 20-kilometer classic, just 0.9 seconds behind Finland’s Johanna Matintalo.
Zip lines, swim races, summers in Canada
Growing up in Afton, outside Minneapolis, Diggins tried any sport that could absorb her uncontainable energy: skating, soccer, dance, gymnastics, rock climbing and athletics. Ski racing followed while she was still in elementary school.
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Her father, an outdoorsy Canadian, installed a zip line behind their house, and speed quickly became a fascination. That competitive edge sharpened during summers north of the border, racing other kids in swim meets along the shores of Lake Superior.
Ski competitions began at 11 and never stopped….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/history-already-made-jessie-diggins-095923923.html
Author : DEREK GATOPOULOS and JENNIFER McDERMOTT
Publish date : 2026-01-28 09:59:00
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