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The most decorated women's cross-country skier in American history is calling it a career.
Four-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins concluded the 2025-26 World Cup season with a 12th place finish in the 20 km mass start at the Stifel Lake Placid Finals on Sunday, March 22, and then officially announced her retirement from the sport.
The Minnesota native steps away from competitive skiing on top, claiming her fourth overall World Cup title. It comes on the heels of a bronze medal she won in the 10 km interval start at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
"I'm really going to miss this," Diggins said on the Outside broadcast after the race. "But I'm really, really thankful that I got to do this and that I got to be part of such an incredible team for so many years."
Diggins, 34, retires with 33 World Cup victories, two world championships and four Olympic medals. In addition to her bronze earlier this year, she won the team gold with Kikkan Randall at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, a silver in the 30 km freestyle at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and a bronze that year in the individual sprint.
Her historic gold medal win in 2018, in which she came from behind to cross the finish line first by the smallest of margins is one of the classic moments in skiing history. It marked the USA's first-ever Olympic gold in cross-country skiing.
In the wake of that victory, Diggins was named the U.S. flag-bearer for the closing ceremony in Pyeongchang.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jessie Diggins, 4-time Olympic cross-country skiing medalist, retires
Continue reading...
Four-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins concluded the 2025-26 World Cup season with a 12th place finish in the 20 km mass start at the Stifel Lake Placid Finals on Sunday, March 22, and then officially announced her retirement from the sport.
The Minnesota native steps away from competitive skiing on top, claiming her fourth overall World Cup title. It comes on the heels of a bronze medal she won in the 10 km interval start at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
"I'm really going to miss this," Diggins said on the Outside broadcast after the race. "But I'm really, really thankful that I got to do this and that I got to be part of such an incredible team for so many years."
Diggins, 34, retires with 33 World Cup victories, two world championships and four Olympic medals. In addition to her bronze earlier this year, she won the team gold with Kikkan Randall at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, a silver in the 30 km freestyle at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and a bronze that year in the individual sprint.
Her historic gold medal win in 2018, in which she came from behind to cross the finish line first by the smallest of margins is one of the classic moments in skiing history. It marked the USA's first-ever Olympic gold in cross-country skiing.
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In the wake of that victory, Diggins was named the U.S. flag-bearer for the closing ceremony in Pyeongchang.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jessie Diggins, 4-time Olympic cross-country skiing medalist, retires
Continue reading...
