Jessie Diggins delivered a strong performance in the second stage of the Tour de Ski on Monday, skiing to third place in the women’s 10k classic and moving into the overall lead of both the Tour de Ski and continuing her lead in the overall World Cup standings.

Diggins finished behind Norway’s Astrid Øyre Slind, who claimed victory and Austria’s Teresa Stadlober in second. The podium marked the 83rd World Cup podium of Diggins’ career and her 13th career World Cup podium in Toblach, Italy, a venue that has been central to her success since her first win there in the 5k skate in 2016.

Conditions in Toblach evolved throughout the day. The men raced under warm, sunny skies in classic Toblach weather, while the women took to the course with the sun set behind the Italian mountains, leaving the track fully shaded. 

Diggins, who favors individual start events due to the "race against the clock mentality," was aggressive from the opening gun, posting strong, steady splits through each checkpoint and keeping herself firmly in contention throughout the race. At the 2.1k time check, Diggins was 12.6 seconds out from the lead, sitting in fourth, behind Sweden's Frida Karlsson, Slind and Stadlober. Then, she turned on the jets. At the halfway mark, Diggins was sitting in third, decreasing the time back from the leader. With Karlsson's lead dwindling, it was now a fight between the American, Austrian and Norwegian. Over the final two kilometers, the effort intensified as she fought to the line. At each coaching zone, the U.S. tech team and support staff were in position, screaming at Diggins to just keep fighting. Fighting, she did. 

She ultimately crossed the finish line in third, a result that proved decisive in the overall standings. Diggins now holds the Tour de Ski lead and remains atop the World Cup standings, a position she carried into the Tour. A two-time Tour de Ski champion, Diggins finished third overall last season and is racing her final Tour de Ski with a focus on both performance and enjoyment.

In a discipline Diggins never considered her strong suit, classic racing has started to really take form for her. Winning the classic event last year at the Tour — the first classic victory of her career — Diggins was surprised with how well she skied today. 

"I was super surprised when I heard I was fighting for the podium," said Diggins when a reporter asked her if she was surprised by the result in a classic event. "I was like, 'no', but then realized I was one of the last starters, so I suppose it was true when my techs told me I was in the mix. But I was just trying to ski as smoothly as possible and try to put my best classic technique, so that I can retire liking classic!" 

On the men’s side, Gus Schumacher led the U.S. team with a 17th-place finish in the 10k classic. JC Schoonmaker finished 42nd, Kevin Bolger 43rd, Ben Ogden 47th, Zak Ketterson 79th and Jack Young 93rd. Ketterson was fighting for a top-15 finish when a crash on the downhill took crucial seconds away. He is okay. For Ogden, an unfortunate pole break in a distant part of the course took away important seconds. Julia Kern placed 41st for the women.

The Tour de Ski pauses on Tuesday for a rest day before resuming on Wednesday, Dec. 31, with the third stage — a 5k skate featuring a heat-start format, a returning and still relatively new format for the Tour.

"I'm taking it one day at a time. You never know what is going to happen on the Tour, you just have to enjoy every day and do your best. And now, I am just going to eat a lot of pizza, rest a lot tomorrow and probably watch Netflix with Julia (Kern)." 

RESULTS
Women
Men

TOUR DE SKI STANDINGS
Women
Men

The 20th edition of the Tour de Ski opened Sunday in Toblach, Italy with a fast and chaotic skate sprint that set the tone for the weeklong World Cup stage race. The annual tour, which traditionally begins in Toblach and concludes in Val di Fiemme — the host venue of the upcoming Olympic Winter Games — brought success for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, led once again by Jessie Diggins, and strong results, with six Americans in the top 30. 

Ten American athletes started the 2025 Tour de Ski, including four women — Diggins, Julia Kern, Luci Anderson and Alayna Sonnesyn — and six men — Gus Schumacher, Ben Ogden, J.C. Schoonmaker, Jack Young, Kevin Bolger and Zak Ketterson. The event hosts six races over eight days between two venues. Similar to the Tour de France, if an athlete does not finish a stage or drops out, they cannot continue in the Tour. 

Diggins, a two-time Tour de Ski overall champion and the defending 2024-25 Crystal Globe winner, anchored the U.S. performance on the day, advancing to the final and finishing just off the podium in fourth. 

The opening sprint was notable for its depth of American success, with six U.S. athletes advancing to the knockout heats, the most advancing to the heats of the 2025-26 season. Schumacher qualified second overall, just a second behind Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who went on to win the men’s race. Ogden and Young also carried momentum into Toblach after top-five finishes in the final skate sprint before the holiday break in Davos, Switzerland.

In the women’s quarterfinals, Diggins and Kern were paired together in the fourth heat of the day. The racing was marked by a mix of smooth skiing and multiple crashes across the course. At the end of the race, Kern was unable to advance and Diggins moved on to the semifinals by finishing second in the heat. 

Diggins skied a composed and tactical semifinal, controlling the pace early before settling into the draft through the finishing stretch. She crossed the line in third and briefly waited to see if her time would be enough to advance as a lucky loser. Moments later, Diggins and Sweden’s Johanna Hagström were confirmed into the final.

On the men’s side, Schumacher was the lone American to advance out of the quarterfinals. Bolger, Ogden and Young all narrowly missed progression, finishing less than one second outside the top two advancing positions in their respective heats. Schumacher’s semifinal proved difficult, as he was surrounded by Norwegian skiers and Austria’s Benjamin Moser. Despite fighting for position throughout the heat, making smart moves on the corners and skiing strongly, Schumacher was unable to advance to the final.

The men’s results were highlighted by four Americans finishing inside the top 30. Bolger posted a season-best result in 15th, Schumacher finished 11th, Ogden took 13th and Young placed 19th.

In the women’s final, attention centered on Diggins as she looked to defend her victory from the same Toblach sprint one year earlier. Against a stacked field, Norway’s Kristine Stavaas Skistad claimed the win, followed by Germany’s Coletta Rydzek in second and Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist in third. Diggins battled through the final meters to finish fourth, just off the podium, while Kern placed 17th overall.

“It was fun to have another skate sprint,” Diggins said. “It’s fun to feel like my speed is coming and that the race sharpness is coming into place. I’m just excited for one last Tour de Ski.”

The Tour de Ski continues Sunday with the second stage in Toblach, with the 10k classic. In the overall Tour de Ski standings, Diggins is third and Schumacher leads the men in 10th. 

Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live, with the men kicking things off at 5:45 a.m. ET and the women at 8:45 a.m. ET. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Tour de Ski Overall Standings
Women
Men

Ben Ogden marked his 100th World Cup start with his best result of the season, finishing fifth in Friday’s skate sprint in Davos, while Jack Young delivered a breakthrough performance with a career-best fourth place in his first-ever World Cup sprint final.

It was another sunny day in the Swiss Alps, where the third World Cup of the season landed in Davos, Switzerland. With three races for the weekend, today was the second, and the first skate sprint of the 2025-26 season. Six Americans advanced through to the sprint heats, including Ogden, Young and JC Schoonmaker on the men’s side, along with Jessie Diggins, Julia Kern and Alayna Sonnesyn for the women. 

The day started out with fast results in the quarterfinals, with Ogden crossing the line in second in a blistering 2:20.70 seconds. Young finished sixth. Based on those results, everyone knew it was going to be a big day. Fast forward to the final lunge across the finish, it was two U.S. men in the top five... and not only two top-five results, but a career best by Young and a season's best by Ogden. 

Young, the Vermont native, quietly emerged onto the international scene after an unconventional path to elite cross country skiing. A former football quarterback and baseball outfielder, Young chose to focus on skiing in high school before competing collegiately at Colby College, where he became the program’s first athlete to earn a spot on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team.

Now a regular World Cup starter, Young showed that he belongs here. 

In the quarterfinals, Ogden controlled his heat, taking the win, with Young close behind in second, moving both athletes into the semifinals. A notable moment came in the men’s heats when Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo failed to move on after a near-fall in the final corner — an uncharacteristic exit for the multiple-time Olympic and world champion.

Then, it was onto the semis. Ogden and Young lined up together again and both advanced through. 

In the final heat, Ogden and Young, who stayed composed, positioned themselves patiently before launching a late surge down the finishing straight. Young edged past Ogden in the final meters to a fourth-place finish. Ogden followed closely in fifth, capping a memorable day for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. The race was ultimately won by France's Lucas Chanavat, who surprised everyone by missing most of fall training due to injury. Second place was won by Italy's Federico Pellegrino and third was Norway's Oskar Opstad Vike. For the Americans in the heat, Schoonmaker, who had an unfortunate crash that took him out of contention in the heats, was 27th. 

"This result means so so much," said Young. "It really feels like proof that I can make it to the top on this sport. If I told myself just 3 years ago that I would have a 4th place on the World Cup I would have thought I was insane. I still don’t think today has really set in."

For the women, though Diggins, Kern and Sonnesyn did not advance out of the quarterfinals, it was a step in the right direction and a good race to get the legs heated up for tomorrow's 10k skate. 

"I’m proud of making a detailed race plan and starting faster in the qualifier today!" said Kern. "I felt much more like myself out there today, and played the tactical game, with some good moves, and unfortunate outcomes with an obstruction by another athlete. I’m excited to take this fresher energy into tomorrow, and the endurance base I feel to build on my momentum in a distance race and see what happens tomorrow."

The women's podium was topped by Sweden's Jonna Sundling, with Norway's Mathilde Myhrvold in second and Nadine Faehndrich third in front of her home crowd. Diggins was 15th, Julia Kern 16th, and Sonnesyn 27th.

Results: 
MEN
WOMEN

The World Cup weekend in Trondheim, Norway, wrapped up with a 10k skate interval start — one of Jessie Diggins’ premiere race formats — and once again, she delivered. Coming off her first-ever skiathlon win yesterday, Diggins entered the day with all eyes on her. Crossing the line in third, Diggins took home her third World Cup podium of the season, in only six races. Gus Schumacher led the American men, just outside the top-10 by .3 seconds, landing 11th. 

With athletes racing the clock in an interval start, the times remained tight from the opening kilometers. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson, third in Saturday’s skiathlon, set an early blistering pace that was only matched by a few. Through the time checks, Diggins was always in contention. The Trondheim course favored those with fast tempo, quick turnovers and the ability to adjust from going up and down. For Diggins, it was all about digging deep from start to finish. At the 4.2k check point, she broke into the top three, sitting just .04 seconds back from Sweden's Jonna Sundling and Ebba Andersson. From there, she never fell out of podium contention. 

Sweden’s Moa Illar also had a standout day, surpassing teammate Jonna Sundling’s time and inserting herself into podium contention. By the 9.2k mark — the final time check before the finish — Diggins was 13.3 seconds back in third, narrowly holding off Sundling with the podium. 

Andersson ultimately crossed the line as the day’s winner, finishing two seconds ahead of Illar. Diggins attacked the final kilometers with strong closing speed, collapsing at the finish after an all-out effort to secure third place, 16.5 seconds behind Andersson.

The result caps a strong weekend for Diggins: two podiums in two days, and now three podiums in her last six starts. She has been on the podium in 50% of her races so far this 2025–26 season and will continue to wear the yellow World Cup leader bib as the tour heads next to Davos, Switzerland.

"I was super grateful and excited for how the season has started, and it's one of those things where you work so hard in the off-season, but you don't know how it's really going to go until you actually start racing," said Diggins, post-race. "And even then, the season is long. Right now, I'm really grateful that it's been going so well. It's been fun to share it with the team. In terms of today's race, I was fighting for every single second out there. Because you just never know. I mean, you are getting splits, but you never know how anyone else will close. You're just fighting as hard as you can to just cross that finish line with nothing left. And I did that today, and I am proud of that."

The women's race was won by Andersson, Ilar in second and Diggins third. Julia Kern was the next American in 40th, Kendall Kramer  46th, Rosie Brennan  51st, Alayna Sonnesyn 55th and Kate Oldham 63rd. 

On the men’s side, Gus Schumacher delivered the top American performance of the day, finishing 11th - 0.3 seconds outside the top 10. He crossed the line 35.4 seconds behind Norway’s Einar Hedegart, who took home his first World Cup win. It was a strong showing for Schumacher, who was eager to rebound after Saturday’s skiathlon. The 10k skate has been a special event for him; it’s the format in which he earned his first career World Cup victory at the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis. Andreas Fjorden Ree was second and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget third. Zak Ketterson was 23rd, another strong top 30, Kevin Bolger 33rd, Zanden McMullen 43rd, John Steel Hagenbuch 44th, Ben Ogden 49th and Luke Jager 61st. 

Now, the team heads to Davos, Switzerland, for a three-race series next weekend before all athletes break for the holidays. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team capped off a standout day in Trondheim with Jessie Diggins taking a commanding win—her first victory of the season, second podium of the year and the 30th World Cup win of her career. With the result, Diggins remains third in the Distance World Cup standings and continues to lead the Overall World Cup standings. Gus Schumacher led the men in 21st. 

For Diggins, the day was about gratitude for the wax technicians and the staff behind the athlete, and of course, the execution in the race.

“I know I sound like a broken record, but we win as a team,” she said. “We have success as a team and it takes all of us. I had such good kick in classic, such good skate skis… I was doing it for the wax truck today.”

The hard, fast course in Trondheim required smart tactics, especially in the final kilometers. In the last two kilometers, Diggins focused on positioning, avoiding leg cramps and timing her final sprint. She read the field, trusted her body and struck at exactly the right moment, around the hairpin corner and into the finishing straight. Crossing the line in first, Diggins takes home her first win of the year on a course that holds bittersweet memories from the 2025 Trondheim World Championships. Norway's Heidi Weng finished second, and Sweden’s Ebba Andersson finished third.  

“It was so good to come here and have a race I was capable of,” Diggins added. “Since it’s the last year here, it’s always fun to leave a place with a good memory.”

The win comes in a race format that will be part of the Olympic program in February, giving the U.S. team confidence heading into the Games. Julia Kern and Rosie Brennan also broke into the top 30, finishing 24th and 29th. 

"I was happy with how I was skiing today," said Brennan, post-race. "During the exchange, I just caught a pack I was excited to ski with, then fumbled big time in the exchange and came out in the next pack, so that was a huge bummer. But, I am happy to have fared OK for 20k and feel every race I do will help me build the fitness I need to be better later."

On the men’s side, Gus Schumacher led the Americans in 24th, in a challenging and Norwegian-dominant race. Schumacher held his own during the 20k, with a position in the lead & chase pack the majority of the laps; however, in the final push, Norway's men charged, landing eight men in the top eight. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo took home his 101st victory, with Harald Oestberg Amundsen in second and Emil Iverson in third. For the rest of the U.S. team, Ben Ogden was 35th, Kevin Bolger 51st, JC Schoonmaker 52nd, Zanden McMullen 53rd and Luke Jager 55th. For the women, Alayna Sonnesyn was 44th and Kendall Kramer 48th. 

Diggins reiterated how much the result meant to her and the staff behind the scenes:
“I was really motivated to put together a really good race, especially for the wax techs. I had amazing kick, I knew my skate skis were good.... When we win, we win as a team. It was really cool to have all the puzzle pieces together—from tactics and strategy to my finishing sprint. I was exceptionally proud of the entire team today.”

The U.S. team continues their push in Norway, with one final race on the calendar. Tomorrow's 10k skate, for both men and women, kick off at 3:30 a.m. ET for the women and 5:55 a.m. ET for the men. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The world’s best cross country skiers returned to Norway this weekend for the Trondheim World Cup—one of the most competitive stops on the circuit, made even more intense with many Norwegian athletes fighting for Olympic Winter Games qualification. Ben Ogden led the Stifel U.S. Ski Team in ninth, with Diggins leading the women in 14th. 

On the same course athletes skied a year prior for the 2025 World Championships, the classic sprint was back once again to test the field. For the U.S., and the entire men's field, Ogden came out firing. Known for his sharp race instincts and perfectly timed surges, Ogden once again showed why he’s one of the most dynamic sprinters on the tour. As Kikkan Randall put it, “Ben really races with his heart on his sleeve.” He backed that up in the qualification round, winning the round by .22 seconds ahead of Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. 

With the top 30 advancing, it was Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern representing the stars and stripes into the sprint rounds. In the quarterfinal, Ogden opened with confidence—quick tempo, short strides and full control. For many close to the sport, the "Benny Shuffle" was in full display.

"The qualifier definitely felt good. I think that the hills here in Trondheim really suit my strengths. Not so steep where you have to run, but steep enough where you have to have really fast turnover and power stride," said Ogden. "It felt good today. Definitely a bit intense with all the Norwegians out there." (Since this is a home World Cup, the Norwegian team has "Nation's Spots," giving them more starts relative to other Nations.)

Ogden handily won his quarterfinal by .32 seconds. But in the semifinals, disaster struck for Ogden when he tangled with Norway’s Harald Østberg Amundsen, causing both skiers to fall. Ogden was back on his feet quickly and still finished fifth in the heat, but it wasn’t enough to move on to the finals. Schoonmaker had a similar fall to Ogden and did not advance to the semifinals. Both athletes are okay. 

On the women’s side, World Cup overall leader Jessie Diggins and teammate Julia Kern—silver medalists at this venue during last season’s World Championships—raced hard but similarly did not progress to the semifinals. Diggins was caught up in a fall with Sweden's Joanna Hagstroem, who eventually won the race. Diggins is okay. 

"I was really psyched to be feeling good today," said Diggins. "The conditions were really great for classic skiing. I was super proud of the process—testing with the techs. Overall, I am super proud of how I skied, and I'm hoping to take that positive energy into tomorrow's race."

The day ultimately belonged to Norway’s Klæbo, who not only took the victory but cemented his place in skiing history. With today’s win, Klæbo earned his 100th career individual World Cup victory, joining an elite club that includes Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin and cross country legend Marit Bjørgen, who retired with 114 wins. Klæbo becomes the first male cross country skier ever to reach the 100-win milestone, and only the second cross country skier to surpass the 100 mark. 

The men's podium was led by Klaebo, in second was Norway's Oskar Opstad Vike and Sweden's Alvar Myhlback. Hagstroem won for the women, with Swedish teammates completing the sweep, with Emma Ribom in second and Linn Svahn in third. For the U.S., Diggins was 14th, Kern 20th, Alayna Sonnesyn 45th, Erin Bianco 52nd and Kate Oldham 54th. Ogden led the men in ninth, with Schoonmaker 28th, Gus Schumacher 33rd, Zak Ketterson 37th, Jack Young 42nd and Kevin Bolger 46th 

Next up, the team will race the skiathlon, with 10k of classic and 10k of skate. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

Jack Young is one of the strongest sprinters in the U.S., but his success didn’t happen overnight; in fact, it didn’t happen for years. In high school, he traded in the baseball glove and the football pads to chase something out of the ordinary – cross country ski racing. Fast-forward, the former football QB turned five-time Vermont state cross country ski champ, and the first-ever Colby College skier to be named to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, is now one of the fastest sprinters in the country. He was named to the Stifel. U.S. Cross Country Ski Team through a non-traditional route, and it was never if he was going to make an impact on the U.S. cross country scene; it was a matter of when. 

Now, Young has represented his country at the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway, consistently qualified for FIS World Cup sprint heats and placed in the top 30 in the world more than once; one would assume that Young made the right decision by choosing skiing all those years ago. Representing the Craftsbury Green Racing Project out of Vermont, and starting his second year on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Young is looking to accomplish a goal any athlete in the world dreams of – making Team USA and representing his country at the Olympic Winter Games. But for Young, it’s all about the moments that got him here, the people who inspired him, like his sister Callie Young, and the unconventional journey that led him to compete at the highest level of the sport. 

Young is the latest athlete featured in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s “On the Rise” series, presented by Zions Bank. Through community service, sponsorships and charitable donations, Zions Bank is committed to fueling economic growth and enhancing the quality of life in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

What initially drew you to the sport?
I was drawn to the sport initially through a BKL (Bill Koch League) in Newport, VT, close to my hometown of Jay, VT. This is where my mom first took my older sister and I to learn how to cross country ski. I immediately loved the individual competition — especially in shorter races. 

When you were younger and getting into the sport, what were your goals? 
When I was younger, my goals were mostly about having fun and improving. I played all of the sports when I was a kid, so skiing wasn't the most important part of my life. In other words, I wasn't expecting to be the best then. I wanted to have fun competing and get a little better every year. 

What is your biggest accomplishment?
My biggest accomplishment in my skiing career is qualifying for heats in all seven world cup and World Championship skate sprints last winter. Since it was my first time going to Europe and by far the longest time I'd been on the road, I wasn't expecting to be so consistently successful. I'm always aiming for consistency, so that string of top 30s in my mind is more impressive than any single, better result I had last year. 

What is your ultimate goal? 
My ultimate goal is to unlock my genetic potential fully. There will be countless results goals along the way that I measure year-to-year, but when I retire from this sport, I want to feel like I have left no stone unturned. I want to do everything in my power to compete at the highest level possible.

Who are your heroes? Both in & out of the sport.
My heroes are David Ortiz, Tom Brady, and my older sister, Callie Young. Ortiz is my favorite athlete of all time because of how clutch he was in important situations. He handled pressure better than almost any athlete ever, which allowed him to lead the redsox to multiple World Series championships in my lifetime. Brady is one of my heroes because of his consistency and longevity. He is a poster child for doing everything in his power to consistently perform much longer into life than most other professional athletes. Callie is my ultimate hero because she has always been my role model. When we were younger, she always competed at a higher level than I did in skiing. Her work ethic back in those days inspired me to get better. I certainly wouldn't be where I am today without her as my number one childhood training partner. 

You win $5,000 in prize money: What do you do with it?
I will likely throw most of it in my retirement fund. However, I also want to get a nice espresso machine. So $5,000 minus an espresso machine would go into my retirement account. 

Do you budget or follow any structure related to spending?
I do... somewhat. It's very important in this line of work because of how unsteady and unreliable the income is. However, I could do a better job of this.

What’s one money habit you follow?
I always make sure to set aside a portion of my taxable income for retirement. Sometimes its more than other times, but every bit counts.

Follow Jack on Instagram and follow along through his 2025-26 season. 

Jessie Diggins delivered one of the standout performances of the weekend in Ruka, charging to second place in the women’s 20k skate mass start, her 80th World Cup podium, and reminded the world why she’s the reigning overall World Cup champion.

From the opening kilometer, the race took shape, with Sweden’s Ebba Andersson and Frida Karlsson leading, along with Norway’s Heidi Weng in the chase. Diggins had to hold on from the get-go. 

Diggins—last year’s winner of this race—tucked in right behind the Norwegians and Swedish women. Maximizing every downhill with her trademark tuck skate, staying calm, patient and perfectly positioned. As Kikkan Randall mentioned in the commentary of the race, a 20k is all about energy management, and Diggins executed that strategy from the start, until the last kilometer.

At halfway, around 10k, she sat just five seconds off the lead, the lone non-European surrounded by a sea of Swedish and Norwegian red and blue. Karlsson and Andersson continued to trade pulls at the front, with teammate Jonna Sundling sitting in third, but Diggins held her ground as the pace continued to rise.

With about 15k skied, Diggins remained only a few seconds back, with many wondering if she had it in her to make it to the front. Karlsson then launched an acceleration on the final lap, looking to outpace her teammates and string out the lead pack. Diggins visibly dug deep—at one point literally pounding her legs with her hands on the final downhill—before setting up one final push of her own.

And on the final Ruka climb, Diggins delivered the move she’s known for. She surged past Karlsson on the outside, almost getting caught in the netting, with a perfectly timed attack and skied over the top. Though it wasn't enough to catch Sweden's Sundling, who took the win, Diggins claimed her first World Cup podium of the season, her 80th of her career, and set the tone for what's to come. Norway's Heidi Weng finished third.

For the men, it was all about Zak Ketterson. With frozen, lightning-fast tracks, the men covered the 20k course in just 44 minutes. The conditions created a high-speed, tactical race—and two Americans were right in the mix.

Ketterson and Gus Schumacher skied confidently near the front from the early laps, consistently positioning themselves in the lead train. With about 2k to go, Schumacher suffered an unfortunate crash after skiing on a broken ski for a few kilometers after a tangle with another racer. Though he was back on his feet quickly, the burst of momentum was gone and he lost critical spots in the tightly packed group. For Ketterson, it was all about staying calm and ensuring that he was keeping his momentum up to the finish line. 

"I have had a ton of mass start races, both on World Cup and elsewhere, where I just was frantic and wasting energy for large parts of the race," said Ketterson, when asked about the importance of pacing. "That meant I’d always reach the critical stage at the end of the race with no energy left. I think I’m finally learning to be calmer and spend energy more efficiently."

Ketterson carried his form from his career-best World Cup finish two days earlier in the 10k classic. He held strong through the final lap and powered across the line in ninth—his first individual World Cup top-10 finish and another breakthrough moment in what is shaping up to be a standout season. Norway's Harald Oestberg Amundsen was first, Einar Hedegard was second and Sweden's Edvin Anger was third. 

"It feels amazing. My previous career best was from the end of the 2021-22 season, and I wasn’t able to come close to it for the next three seasons," said Ketterson. "It really wore at my confidence and self belief that it wasn’t able to beat that mark despite working my butt off year-after-year. To feel now that I finally got rewarded for years of hard work is the best feeling an athlete can ever feel."

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team had several athletes on course today, with Alayna Sonnesyn skiing to a top-30 result in 27th, Sophia Laukli  39th, Kendall Kramer 45th, Julia Kern 54th and Kate Oldham 62nd. For the men, Schumacher was 39th, Kevin Bolger 44th, John Steel Hagenbuch 45th, Zanden McMullen 57th, JC Schoonmaker 62nd and Luke Jager 64th. 

Now, the team heads to the site of the 2025 World Championships in Trondheim, Norway for a set of three races next weekend. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

A warm, wet snowfall turned Saturday’s classic sprint in Ruka, Finland into a grind, with saturated tracks and noticeably slower qualification times than the 2024-25 season. On a day when skis mattered more than ever, athletes had to fight for every inch on one of the World Cup’s most demanding sprint courses. Jessie Diggins led the way for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, in 10th, with Ben Ogden in 12th, Rosie Brennan in 15th and Gus Schumacher in 25th. 

Ruka’s sprint track is considered a “classic” for a reason: the final climb rises the equivalent of a 10 to 12-story building—22 meters of vertical and positioning on the hill is everything. Skiing over the top cleanly to carry momentum into the long double-pole finish straight is key, and races are often decided by fractions of a second.

All eyes were on the four U.S. athletes who advanced to the heats. Rosie Brennan, who has had an unconventional and interrupted summer of training due to illness, took an important early-season step by qualifying for the sprint heats. In her quarterfinal heat, Brennan skied confidently, sitting between third and fifth throughout the course. Her tempo up the final climb matched the leaders, but despite a powerful double pole to the line, she narrowly missed advancing. Still, Brennan walked away encouraged.

“I’m really happy with today,” Brennan said after finishing 15th. “I was in a tough heat and am happy with how I skied it. Without a proper build into the season, I definitely feel I am missing some form and fitness, but doing back-to-back races was a huge win for me and each time I get to race, I am getting some good stimulus to build with moving forward.”

Jessie Diggins delivered, following the 10k classic fifth-place result the previous day. In the semifinals, Diggins lined up with a stacked field, finishing fifth in the heat, just outside of the top two that automatically advance to the finals, and wrapped up the day in 10th overall—an impressive start to her classic sprint season.

On the men’s side, Ben Ogden showed his "Benny Shuffle" in real time and advanced through to the semifinals before his day was cut short. However, a top-15 result is a positive metric this early in the season. 

"Definitely happy with today on the whole," said Ben Ogden. "I thought the qualifier wasn’t the best, but I felt good in the heats -- it was definitely a tricky quarterfinal to get through. And it's only the first week on the snow, so too early to know how I'm feeling, but good to be racing again."

Gus Schumacher also landed in the top 30, placing 25th and adding another World Cup points-scoring race to his resume. 

“Feeling pretty good after qualifying in classic for sure!” Schumacher said. “Definitely a tough ski weekend to start with near-freezing conditions and precipitation… made yesterday fairly rough, but my body feels strong. Excited for tomorrow! That race has been pretty good to me in the past. I think if I can stay relaxed and near the front I can compete up there with the leaders. We’ll see!”

The dominant Norwegians led the podiums of the day. For the men, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo claimed his 99th individual World Cup victory, with teammates Erik Valnes in second and Ansgaar Evensen in third. Kristine Stavaas Skistad took home another sprint victory, with Sweden's Jonna Sundling in second and Maja Dahlqvist in third. 

For the rest of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Julia Kern was 41st, Kate Oldham 47th, Alayna Sonnesyn 50th and Erin Bianco 51st. For the men, Kevin Bolger was 35th, Jack Young 39th, Zak Ketterson 53rd, and JC Schoonmaker was 65th.  

With two race days now complete, the World Cup field will take to the start line one more time in Ruka on Sunday for the 20k skate, a race historically strong for several U.S. athletes.

Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live, with men kicking things off at 4:00 a.m. ET and women at 5:45 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Jessie Diggins launched her final World Cup season with a statement performance in Ruka, Finland, delivering her best-ever result on the storied 10k classic course and showing strong early-season form while wearing the yellow bib. Zak Ketterson led the men to a 14th place finish, a career-best individual result. 

For the past 13 seasons, Ruka has served as the opening World Cup stop—a venue known for setting the tone of the year and testing athletes immediately. The women went out first. Diggins entered today’s event ranked as the No. 1 skier in the world after bringing home the overall FIS Crystal Globe last season—an honor she has now won three times. 

For Diggins, this race also marked the last “first start” of her career. Ruka’s opening weekend is notoriously brutal—defined by steep, punchy climbs, fast technical descents, little rest and the infamous “Ruka Climb” into the stadium. That final climb averages a 14% gradient with pitches that spike to 17%—a wall of a finish. 

At the halfway mark at 5k, Diggins sat sixth, only 16 seconds off the lead of Sweden's Frida Karlsson, posting times that kept pressure on the front of the race. In the final kilometers, Diggins began putting down some of the fastest splits in the field and held her position through the line as athletes continued to finish. She moved up to fifth place, marking a new career best for the 10k classic in Ruka. 

Karlsson was untouchable from start to finish, claiming the win with another dominant performance, her second consecutive win in the Ruka 10k classic. Norway’s Heidi Weng finished second and Karlsson’s teammate Ebba Andersson rounded out the podium in third.

Kikkan Randall, Olympic champion and longtime friend to Diggins, summed up the moment: “When you know it's your final season, and you've already done everything, she can just come in here and ski with reckless abandon.”

“My goals for the whole season are to be happy, healthy and in the present moment," said Diggins, post race. "Really soak it in, because this is the last time I get to do this, and that's really special to me. And so, I was just thinking about going out there and smashing a 10k in Ruka one last time and laying it all out. And, as usual, in a race one of my goals is to cross the finish line with nothing left and today, I did that. I was really happy with the race. There were people out there chanting ‘last one, last one,’ which was so cool because I felt the support and love from so many people from so many countries. For the actual race result, it was super exciting to have my best-ever Ruka classic 10k. My combo of kick and glide on a tricky day was great. All said and done, I am coming into the season right where I want to be.”

Seven U.S. men started the race, signaling the depth of a men’s program that enters the season as one of the strongest in U.S. history. Conditions added an extra layer of difficulty; as the race went on, the course began to ice up, making it difficult for athletes to engage their kick zones cleanly. Many athletes battled icing throughout the event, leading to significant time losses on the steeper sections.

But the conditions and tempo of the field did not stop Ketterson from delivering a standout day, earning his career-best individual World Cup result—surpassing his previous top finish of 15th at the 2022 Falun World Cup.

At the end of the day, Norway’s Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget won the day, over the second-place winner, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Austria’s Mika Vermeulen delivered a surprise performance in third.

The U.S. has 14 athletes racing today. For the men, Ben Ogden was 34th, Gus Schumacher 37th, Zanden McMullen 49th, JC Schoonmaker 62nd, John Steel Hagenbuch 64th and Luke Jager 68th. For the women, Rosie Brennan was 24th, Julia Kern 42nd, Sophia Laukli 48th, Kendall Kramer 50th, Alayna Sonnesyn 54th, and Kate Oldham 73rd. 

Saturday, the team is back for the skate sprint, with finals live on skiandsnowboard.live at 5:25 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
Women
Men