Jessie Diggins, the most-decorated cross-country skier in American history, is enjoying the ride in her final Olympics
Diggins, a Wakefield, Mass., resident who trains in Vermont, knows a thing or two about that. She entered the Olympics as a three-time medalist and has picked up one more, a bronze in the 10K freestyle, while competing in Val di Fiemme.
Her victory in the team sprint in 2018 with Kikkan Randall was the first medal for an American woman in the sport, ever. She made the podium again, in Beijing in 2022, a bronze in the individual sprint and a silver in the 30K freestyle, a race she finished after vomiting the previous night because of food poisoning.
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And amid all of her successes, Diggins has been public with her fight against an eating disorder. She was bulimic as a teenager and went through treatment, finding a way to balance fueling the body that has won her so many accolades with the battles in her mind. She relapsed a few years ago but is doing better now.
“I thought my life would actually be quite short because of my eating disorder,” she said. “I was in a really tough place, and because of the help I received and the love that I got — and the love I was able to finally show myself — I’m sitting here at my fourth Olympics.”
So, yes, these Olympics are about giving her all — her mind, her body, her joy, which she’s bringing in buckets to the US cross-country team as she tries to go out on a high note.
Diggins announced in the fall she’d be retiring from the sport after this season. She sits at the top of the FIS World Cup standings, has won the past two world titles, and will probably win again this year.
All that success makes it easier to grapple with the results here in Italy. Diggins was such a favorite in her races that it’s surprising she only has one medal through five competitions. But a fall in her first race, the skiathlon on Feb. 7, left her with bruised ribs and a lot of pain.
After she finished, she was her typical bubbly self.
“I’m the happiest bronze medalist in the world,” she said. “I’m so grateful for everyone getting me here.”
That gratitude is part of her second goal for these Games: “Be the one who steadies the boat, not the one who rocks it.”
Diggins gladly takes on the moniker of “team mom.” She’s 34 and more than half of the US team are first-timers. She’s been their leader and their mentor since before they made the squad.
“Her impact has been huge and extends so much past the Olympic level or even World Cup level,” Vermont’s Ben Ogden, who has won two silver medals here, said. “She is a huge inspiration to even just kids getting out there and having a good time during breaktime at the local schools in Vermont.”
Whether it’s her habit of knitting in the Olympic Village or constantly shouting out her teammates, such as Julia Kern of Waltham, Mass., on social media, Diggins is the glue of the Americans, who on the men’s side are having their best Olympics ever.
And as she said she planned to do when she announced her retirement, she’s spent every step of this final journey thanking the people who helped her reach this point. The coaches, the ski technicians, the friends and family, and her husband, Wade Poplawski.
They’re all here helping her fulfill her final goal: “Enjoy this with my family and friends.”
Diggins is ready to retire because she’s ready to live a normal life. Grow a garden. Get a dog. Spend Thanksgiving with family, not on the road. (But she won’t stop her athletic feats: She said she plans to run an ultramarathon.) She and her husband plan to stay in the Boston area, at least for now, as his job has him in the city when he’s not following her on tour.
But that’s for later, in March, after her final World Cup race, scheduled to be held in Lake Placid, N.Y.
“I really want to soak in that experience of so many people that I know and love being here with me,” Diggins said earlier this month.
On Sunday during the 50K, her final Olympic race, she’ll get a chance to do just that.
Katie McInerney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram at @katiemac.sports.
