LAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Jessie Diggins raised her arms after she crossed the finish line of the women's 20-kilometer mass start Sunday, an exhausted smile on her glitter-lined face as the American standout wrapped up the final race of her storied career.
The 34-year-old cross‑country ski racer was in the medal mix before a late crash knocked her to the snow. Diggins got back up and finished in 12th place.
Then, the hugs began for the four-time Olympic medalist. All of her competitors lined up for a chance at an embrace with Diggins, who was wearing her trademark glitter on her cheeks as a reminder to have fun.
She did, too — all the way to the end.
“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 goes out on top after securing her fourth overall World Cup title earlier this weekend. The final World Cup race of her career wasn't simply a ceremonial lap in front of home fans, either — Diggins was charging hard for the win. She was in fifth place moments before her crash on the downhill portion of the course.
Diggins leaves the sport as the most decorated cross‑country skier in U.S. history. She received a spray of bubbly soon after all the hugs in a race won by Jonna Sundling of Sweden in 48 minutes, 17.1 seconds. Diggins finished 16.5 seconds behind.
Before the race, she soaked in the moment and blew kisses to the crowd. Several fans showed up with shirts featuring the image of a smiling Diggins.
The racer from Minnesota who began skiing at 3 years old won 33 times on the World Cup circuit, along with two world championships.
She certainly shined on the Olympic stage and added to her trophy case at the Milan Cortina Games by earning a bronze medal in the 10-kilometer interval start. That despite suffering painful rib bruising from a crash in her opening race.
Diggins won America’s first cross-country skiing gold alongside Kikkan Randall in 2018, and she added silver and bronze medals at the 2022 Beijing Games.
As for her retirement plans, Diggins said she will continue to campaign for climate change awareness and to support people coping with eating disorders.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jinx, the Musical,” is a documentary chronicling … Read morePremiere of Love & Hope & Magic: The Making of Jink, The Musical
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we set sail into the world of luxury river cruising!… Read moreLegendary Rivers & Tours Expo
San Francisco Symphony players get together in an intimate setting of the Gradus Ad Parnassu… Read moreSoirée Française: Our Favorite Violin Sonatas
Planning your dream wedding? Discover everything you need at the Wedding Fair in the Park – … Read moreWedding Fair in the Park
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
CA Is Burning said:
Disadvantaged = uneducated third world foreigners whose living habits are not aligned with the USA.
CA Is Burning said:
LITTLE - I think the time is here, have you considered MAID?
Thomas Morgan said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.