By DEREK GATOPOULOS and JENNIFER McDERMOTT
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.
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.
“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.
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. After outperforming the boys, Diggins jumped age categories, surging through her teens from state to national championships and onto an express path to the Olympics.
By 2018, she was at the center of a historic breakthrough, teaming with Kikkan Randall in the sprint to claim the first — and still only — U.S. Olympic gold in cross-country skiing.
After adding silver and bronze in 2022, Diggins will compete at Milan Cortina as part of a powerhouse group of American women that includes Alpine skiiers Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn and snowboarder Chloe Kim. A dual citizen, Diggins also openly roots for Canada.
“I absolutely do,” she told the AP. “I kind of see it as team North America. And I am really, really proud of my Canadian citizenship. So many of my family lives up there, and both my parents were born there. I feel so proud to have half of my heart there.”
Stressed by events in Minneapolis
Her career took off in Europe and eventually led her to settle outside Boston, but Minnesota is never far away. Diggins said it has been stressful to follow the headlines about the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis where two people were fatally shot by federal immigration agents.
“It’s been devastating following the news of what has been happening in Minnesota right now, and it’s really hard feeling like I can do nothing about it,” she wrote in an online post.
As her career has flourished, she has also devoted herself to causes that mirror personal struggles — advocating for climate action as snowfall declines because of climate change and pushing for better access to treatment for people with severe eating disorders.
“It makes every race so much more meaningful knowing that I’m trying to advocate for a better future,” she said.
After advocacy, it’s back to the slopes.
Glitter, gratitude and podium dancing
Fans know Jessie Diggins’ winning formula: relentless endurance, downhill aggression and a finishing kick capable of breaking elite rivals.
There’s also playfulness. She races with glitter face paint — a ritual now copied by younger American skiers — and after frequent finish-line collapses often celebrates moments later with a half-dance on the podium.
Along the way, Diggins makes a point of publicly thanking those who helped her get there: wax technicians, sports psychologists, teammates and others.
“I have to say a huge thank you to the team. I felt like I had awesome skis that were super competitive every single day,” she said after her latest Tour de Ski victory.
“It takes a village, and I’m really proud of my village — really grateful for them. It was so fun to feel good on this last tour. And yeah, it was just really cool.”
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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