Diggins Wins Fourth Olympic Medal; Bronze in 10k Skate

Jessie Diggins added another medal to her historic career Thursday, claiming bronze in the women’s 10k skate at the Tesero Cross Country Stadium. The third-place result marked her fourth career Olympic medal and the first Olympic medal ever won by an American in the 10k event.

Team Sweden's Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson took the gold and silver medals with Karlsson’s winning time of 22 minutes and 49.2 seconds. Diggins rounded out the podium 49.7 seconds behind with a time of 23 minutes and 38.9 seconds. 

Team USA’s Novie McCabe placed 31st with teammates Kendall Kramer in 38th and Hailey Swirbul finishing in 39th place. 

Diggins's bronze medal is a historic win for Team USA, as she becomes the first American woman to medal in the event. The Bronze secures another piece of hardware for Team USA and helps to build momentum and confidence as the women’s team heads into more events later this week. 

Going back to the race, it was a sunny day in Val di Fiemme. Spectators packed the stadium grandstands and lined the course, filling every available viewing point as more than 100 athletes took to the start line. Racing unfolded on firm, fast conditions, with a course set with salt in advance to keep the surface as firm as possible with the warming temperatures. 

Out of the start gate first was Kramer. This was Kramer's first Olympic start, after being called up just a day earlier as the first alternate. Skiing a composed race, only getting faster as the kilometers went by, she ultimately finished 38th. Next was 2022 Olympians Swirbul and McCabe. Swirbul ultimately finished 39th, and McCabe was just 2 seconds out from the top 30, in 31st. 

"Today I didn’t have the race of my life, we all come to this stage and wish for that, but that wasn’t the case for me," said Swirbul. "But that also isn’t what this is all about and today, I thought about what it means to represent and find the grit as much as you can... that is what the Olympics is about!” 

Diggins paced her 10k race carefully across the rolling Tesero course, staying within striking distance through the early checkpoints before delivering a decisive effort in the latter stages to secure her podium spot. The pace was securely set by Sweden's Karlsson, who secured a gold medal just days ago in the women's skiathlon. At the 3.7 checkpoint, Karlsson was 5.9 seconds ahead and at 4.9k, she gained 23.4 seconds on second place. With those splits, it was clear that Karlsson was in the clear for the gold. But that never stopped Diggins. Her coaches and wax technicians lined the course, providing splits so Diggins knew her position in the pack at all times. Digging deeper than ever, with bruised ribs making it harder for her to keep her normal composure, Diggins never left the top three. With Andersson and Diggins fighting for silver, in the last kilometer, Diggins knew the medal was on the line. Giving everything she could, Diggins crossed the finish line just 4 seconds out from silver, and 49.7 seconds out from gold. Across the line, Diggins gasped for breath. She achieved her mantra of doing everything she needed to do in the moment. 

"Today, I went into the race with a mantra of: "Focus on what I could do right now. Focus on what I could do in the moment," said Diggins. 

With the bronze medal, Diggins now owns four Olympic podium medals. Her first came at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, where she teamed up to win gold in the team sprint with Kikkan Randall, the first cross country Olympic gold medal for the United States. She followed that performance in Beijing in 2022 with silver and bronze medals, and now adds bronze from Milano Cortina to her collection.

Competing in her final season and final Olympic Winter Games, Diggins continues to define the standard for American cross country skiing. Already the most decorated U.S. cross country skier of all time, her performance in Tesero reflects both her longevity and her ability to contend on the sport’s biggest stage across multiple Olympic cycles.

Tomorrow, the men have their chance at the 10k skate, with Gus Schumacher, Zak Ketterson, John Steel Hagenbuch and Zanden McMullen. 

RESULTS
Women