On February 21st, 2018, in PyeongChang, South Korea, Jessie Diggins lunged at the finish in an epic, come from behind victory to secure a historic first-ever Olympic Gold Medal for Team USA’s Women’s CrossCountry Team. Diggins’ ferocious attack over the closing 100 meters of the race electrified the capacity crowd and a global television audience and will forever be remembered as the defining moment of the 2018 Olympic Games!
Jessie’s herculean effort and infectious, positive energy not only won over the hearts of ski fans worldwide, but also resulted in her being selected by her fellow Team USA athletes to carry the flag at the closing ceremony. “This is such an incredible honor for me. I’m really humbled and moved that the athletes voted for me. It’s so inspiring to feel the support and cheering from everyone.” – JESSIE
Since her golden Olympic moment, Diggins has kept her foot on the gas with a long list of accomplishments that has secured her as the G.O.A.T. of American cross country skiing. She is the first American in history to win the prestigious Tour de Ski stage race, as well as on two occasions winning both World Cup Overall Championship and the World Cup Distance Championship, including in 2024.
In 2022, she returned to the Olympics Games, adding both silver and bronze medals to her collection. In 2023, she added yet another ‘first-ever’ to her growing list, becoming the first American to win an individual World Championship. Jessie is now a 21x World Cup winner (with 60 podiums), 6x World Championship medalist, 3x Olympian and 3x Olympic medalist.
Jessie Diggins was cross country skiing before she could walk, hitching a ride in her Dad’s backpack, pulling his hair and telling him to ‘Mush!’ The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and by three years old she was on skis of her own, sharing Dad’s passion for the sport. Little did they know at the time that a ferocious, ground-breaking competitor was in the making.
Jessie is known for two things: being able to “go deep into the pain cave,”— ski-speak for pushing herself to the edge and beyond, and doing it with style, with a smile and with sparkles. Jessie began the team’s tradition of painting their faces on race day and finishing it up with a dusting of sparkles.
From Afton, MN, with a background in dance, swimming and soccer, Jessie was a nine-time Junior National Champion on skis. Within the senior ranks, she’s responsible for numerous American firsts:
- At 20, she was the youngest woman to finish top-5 in a World Cup distance race.
- In 2013, at just 21, she became the youngest American World Champion and the first U.S. Woman to win a Championship title (with teammate Kikkan Randall).
- At 22, she won silver at the U-23 World Championships and went on to finish 8th at the Olympic Games in Sochi – tying the best ever placement by an American woman at an Olympic Games in a distance event.
- During the 2015 season she ended a 33-year drought in championship level distance medals for Team USA by winning the silver medal it the World Championships in 10km skate.
- In 2015-16, she became the first American Woman to win a modern distance World Cup in the 5km skate individual race. In 2016-17 she won 5 World Cup medals and added both silver and bronze medals at the 2017 World Championships.
- In 2018, she and teammate Kikkan Randall became the first ever winners of Olympic gold.
- In 2020-21 she became the first American to win the grueling Tour de Ski.
- In 2022, by winning two more Olympics medals she became the most decorated American cross country skier in history.
- In 2023, she became the first American in history to win an individual gold medal at the World Championships.
- In 2024, she won the Overall and Distance World Cup Crystal Globes, for the second time, becoming the first American to ever do so.
