Jessie Diggins’ Farewell Races: US Skiing’s Champion & World Cup Finale
Lake Placid, N.Y. — Jessie Diggins secured her fourth overall cross-country skiing World Cup title on Friday, finishing fifth in the 10km classic race at the World Cup finals in Lake Placid, New York, before announcing her retirement after this weekend’s races. The Guardian reports the 34-year-old American’s achievement marks a historic feat, as she is the first woman from outside Europe to capture the title, and has now done so four times.
Diggins’s victory came with a 342-point lead over Sweden’s Moa Ilar, making it mathematically impossible for Ilar to overtake her even with two races remaining. Ilar would have needed to win all three races of the weekend and rely on a significantly poor performance from Diggins, a scenario that did not materialize. Diggins finished the 10km classic in 29 minutes and 36.9 seconds, while Sweden’s Linn Svahn won the race in 29 minutes and 4.4 seconds, followed by Frida Karlsson and Heidi Weng.
The Minnesota-born skier’s success extends beyond the overall title, as she also secured the distance title for the season. This accomplishment comes after a dominant season and ahead of her planned retirement, following her participation in the Milan Olympics where she won a bronze medal. Diggins’s influence on the sport has been significant, having successfully advocated for World Cup races to be held in the United States, including a triumphant event in Minneapolis two years ago that drew a crowd of twenty thousand spectators.
Diggins’s racing style has resonated with fans, characterized by a relentless pursuit of speed and a willingness to push herself to the limit, often collapsing after finishing a race – a phenomenon documented by the online “Diggins Collapse Index.” She has also been open about her personal struggles, including her battles with an eating disorder, a story chronicled in a Peacock documentary titled “Threshold.”
The atmosphere in Lake Placid reflected the outpouring of support for Diggins, with Minnesota state flags and handmade “Thank You, Jessie” signs visible throughout the course. Spectators also showed support for other athletes, including Norwegian skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who won Friday’s race despite a recent concussion sustained in a collision with American skier Ben Ogden. Klæbo opted to skip Saturday’s sprint races, opening the door for Italian Federico Pellegrino, also retiring after this competition, to secure a victory and soak in the crowd’s appreciation. Pellegrino celebrated his win by donning a cowboy hat, much to the delight of the audience. The New York Times reported that Klæbo returned on Sunday to win the final race of the season.
Diggins concluded her competitive career with a ninth-place finish in Saturday’s sprint race and a 12th-place finish in Sunday’s 20-kilometer race, according to Olympics.com. While she didn’t dominate the final weekend, the outpouring of support and recognition of her accomplishments underscored her lasting impact on the sport.