Jessie Diggins claimed the FIS Cross Country World Cup overall title for the third time in her career, alongside the distance Crystal Globe by just two points, after a dominant 2024-25 season. It is her second year in a row winning both the overall and distance FIS Crystal Globes.

Diggins had seven podium finishes in the 2024-25 season—six of them victories, including her first ever classic race win in the 15k at the Tour de Ski. Despite battling a foot injury in the second half of the season, she remained at the top of the standings from start to finish, wearing the coveted yellow leader’s bib from the very first race weekend. This is Diggins' third time clinching the overall Crystal Globe; she is the only non-European to win the Globe in the sport's history.

“I think that this year, it was so joyful to be able to prove to myself that I could win the overall Crystal Globe in a place of being really happy and mentally healthy and in a strong and resilient body that could stay healthy all season,” Diggins reflected. “There was more joy in the process, and there was less stress overall!”

Diggins displayed grit and resilience throughout the season, overcoming plantar fasciitis and a partially torn ligament in her foot to continue competing, only missing a couple of races after the Tour de Ski. She finished third in the overall Tour de Ski standings. She capped off her season with another significant achievement: winning a World Championships silver medal in the skate sprint alongside teammate Julia Kern. It marked the second consecutive time the duo has reached the World Championship podium together and Diggins' seventh World Championships medal. 

Diggins’ career numbers further highlight her impact on the sport: 358 World Cup starts, 79 podiums and 29 victories. But for her, success has evolved beyond just statistics.

“When I was younger, it was hard to separate succeeding from succeeding on the results sheet. My self-worth was based on what number was next to my name,” she said. "Succeeding at something, to me, is going after it with your whole heart, doing it in a way that lifts up other people and means that you cross the finish line with nothing left. I want to always look back and go, ‘that was the best I could do and I left everything out there."

She also emphasized the significance of breaking new ground in her sport. “You can’t be what you can’t see,” Diggins explained. “Sometimes you need to see someone do it to believe that it’s possible. Hopefully, this creates more opportunity for those coming after me.”

Looking ahead to the next season—an Olympic year—Diggins will have to decide how to balance her World Cup ambitions with Olympic preparation. However, one thing remains clear: She continues to race because she loves the sport and the process of pushing herself to new limits.

“I’ve been very fortunate to achieve a lot of my big hopes and dreams, but I am still here doing this because I genuinely love it. I love finding out how tough, gritty and mentally strong I can be when things are tough. And that’s what keeps me coming back.”

As she celebrates another historic milestone, Diggins remains committed to her team and to inspiring the next generation of cross country skiers. A common theme among the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is the importance of a supportive culture, which Diggins credits to her success, especially this season. "When one of us wins, we all win. It's not all about results; it's about being a team player and being part of something bigger than yourself."

And her advice for young athletes who dream to one day be like Diggins, on top of the world in her sport, is simple:

“Do it because you love it. This sport is so much hard work, and that’s what’s so fun about it. Find a team you truly love to be around, put a lot into that team, and love the process. At the end of the day, the process is all there is.”

The season wrapped with the 50k classic, Diggins was back in the top 10, finishing the day in ninth. Gus Schumacher led the way for the men, crossing the line and waving to the fans in seventh. 

RESULTS
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Men

Overall 
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In a thrilling night sprint under the lights in Lahti, Finland, JC Schoonmaker delivered for the final individual sprint of the season, crossing the finish line in sixth. Schoonmaker's result made it another strong day for the Americans, with eight in the top 30 and four in the top 15. 

Schoonmaker led a strong contingent of American skiers as eight U.S. athletes advanced to the sprint heats—five men and three women. The men’s squad featured Schoonmaker, Gus Schumacher, Ben Ogden, Jack Young and Kevin Bolger, while Jessie Diggins, Julia Kern and Sammy Smith represented the women. Four Americans cracked the top 15, with Schumacher taking 12th, Kern 13th and Diggins 15th. Smith finished 25th, Ogden 19th, Bolger 20th and Young 30th.

"I feel proud of how I raced this season. It was the best preparation period for me before the season, so I’m happy to come out with some good racing, given the circumstances. I feel that I was able to learn a lot and gain more experience, which makes me extra motivated for next year."

"Today was variable, including the snow conditions. My body felt good, but my tactics didn’t go as planned. The times were really tight today, and the course was causing a lot of jam-ups and scrappy skiing. I’m proud I had a good start, and for trying to make moves out there and adjust my plan, but it wasn’t quite enough. Sprinting can be so fun but also requires a little luck. Today, I learn from my mistakes for next time." 

The night belonged to Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who claimed his 16th consecutive sprint victory and secured the FIS Sprint Crystal Globe. On the women’s side, Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu earned the sprint win in front of a home crowd. Ben Ogden and Jessie Diggins ended the season in seventh place overall in the sprint standings, capping off another strong year for U.S. cross country skiing.

“It was a really cool atmosphere today – the lights were super bright; the crowd was amazing and I am super grateful to everyone for the love. This was maybe the only race of the year where there was no pressure, no points – I was just going out there racing for me, because I love it, and because it was fun! And I did have a ton of fun out there."

Schoonmaker’s breakthrough performance in Lahti adds momentum to the U.S. team as the season winds down, with just two races left: the team sprint tomorrow, March 22, and the 50k classic on Sunday, March 23. 

RESULTS
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For the first time since 2019, Julia Kern is back on the individual World Cup podium. Under the lights at the Tallinn City Sprint in Estonia, Kern powered her way to a long-awaited top-three finish. Ben Ogden was seventh, topping off a strong day for the Americans. 

The 2024-25 season has been significant for Kern, highlighted by her silver medal in the team sprint at the World Championships. But an individual podium had remained elusive—until now. With just four races left in the season, she delivered a gutsy performance on the fast-paced urban course in Tallinn. 

“A podium possibility is something I have been chasing the past five years ever since my first podium,” she said. “I never stopped believing that I had it in me, but there were definitely times when it felt far out of reach, like in Period 1 this season. Things with sprinting were really not clicking early season, which wasn’t so surprising given my injury-ridden fall. But I knew my fitness was there with strong distance races, so I worked really hard with the coaches and strength coach in the lead-up to World Champs to get my sprinting gears back.”

This result has been a long time coming for Kern, who has been chasing a return to the podium for five years. The journey hasn’t been easy, with injuries and early-season struggles testing her resilience. Period one of the season was challenging, with her sprinting not quite clicking, but she never lost belief.

Kern credited the wax technicians for their tireless support and expertise, especially given the unique conditions of the race, which featured limited course access and neutral waxing rules.

“The staff did an amazing job in ski testing and strategy today,” she said. “They were cheering so loud around the course that I had no option but to boost into another gear. I feel so grateful for their unwavering belief over the years, and especially this season where I was reminded to be patient, and that likely my form would catch up and come around at the end of the season.”

Kern had a strong season beyond sprinting, earning a career-best sixth place in the 20k skate in Falun, Sweden and finishing fifth in the individual sprint at World Championships. She and Jessie Diggins also took silver in the team sprint, marking Kern’s second career World Championships medal after their bronze in 2023. 

Other notable results of the day go to Ogden, who was seventh. Gus Schumacher, Jack Young and Sammy Smith also punched their tickets to the Tallinn City Sprint rounds and ended the day with a 16th by Schumacher, 19th by Young and Smith in 27th place. The women's podium of the day was topped by Switzerland's Nadine Faehnrich and Sweden's Maja Dahlqvist in second. For the men, Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is back on top in first, with his teammate Harald Oestberg Amundsen in second and France's Jules Chappaz in third. 

Now, the team has made a quick turnaround to Lahti, Finland, for the final World Cup weekend of the season. Jessie Diggins enters the week with the FIS Cross Country FIS Overall Crystal Globe for the third time in her career; Diggins is the only non-European to win the Overall Crystal Globe in cross country World Cup history. 

RESULTS 
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Men

The legendary Holmenkollen World Cup delivered yet another day of exciting World Cup ski racing, with Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Gus Schumacher and Jessie Diggins securing top-10 finishes in the 20k classic; Schumacher was seventh and Diggins 10th. This was the first race following the World Championships. With the season nearing its end, the Americans put together strong performances despite challenging conditions and the inevitable fatigue of a long race season.

Holmenkollen is one of the sport's most storied venues. It is typically home to the grueling 50k event, where tens of thousands of fans line the course, cheering deep into the woods for one of the most iconic races in skiing. But with this year’s 50k already contested at the World Championships, the Holmenkollen weekend featured two distance races instead—a 20k classic and a 10k skate—bringing a different energy to the event.

For Diggins, today’s race was another crucial step in her chase for the overall World Cup Crystal Globe. The Holmenkollen 20k classic marked another victory as classic skiing was a discipline she was unable to compete in earlier this season due to a foot injury. Seeing her back in the top 10 was an encouraging sign—not just for her confidence but for the team. With today’s result, she continues to lead the overall standings and heads into tomorrow’s 10k skate, her premiere event, with momentum.

"I am super proud of today," said Diggins. "It was a really great step in the right direction. My energy and body felt surprisingly okay after the 50k - of course, I don't feel as fresh as a daisy, but I am proud that I could push the entire race. I am also super proud of the wax techs. They had to predict how the kick would change when the snow broke - right around the middle of the race for me - it was getting quite a bit slower and slushier. But they could predict that, and I had a ton of kick and glide. I am incredibly grateful because it allowed me to ski with good technique and push it!"

On the men’s side, Schumacher executed a well-paced race on the demanding three-lap course, showcasing smart strategy and solid endurance from the young Alaskan. Just a week removed from an exhausting 50k at World Championships, he came into today’s event looking to rebound—and did just that. With a strong season so far, which included a recent second-place result in the Falun World Cup and a ninth-place result in the World Championships 20k skiathlon, Schumacher is becoming a podium threat in almost every race he enters and is shaking up the Scandinavian domination on the World Cup level. 

"The body feels pretty good post-world champs; I think the racing load was not crazy high - it was more emotional," said Schumacher. "I for sure am feeling tired after the 50k, but every day was feeling better than last week! I knew I was in a good spot (throughout the race), and I am proud of skiing relaxed in the early and middle parts. I focused on not getting too stressed and not getting frantic, and on the last lap, it was a bit hard, but it's super hard to nail an individual start 20k with pacing - but I am proud of how I raced it."

The ultimate winners of the day were Norwegian Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, who blasted the competition, crossing the line 51.2 seconds ahead of Sweden's William Paromaa. Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway was third. Norwegian legend Therese Johaug took home another World Cup victory for the women, with teammate Astrid Oeyre Slind in second and Germany's Victoria Karl in third. For the U.S., Rosie Brennan was back in the top 20 in the 17th, Sydney Palmer-Leger in the 40th, and Sammy Smith in the 47th. For the men, Ben Ogden was just out of the top 30 in 33rd, Kevin Bolger in 36th, and Luke Jager in 59th. 

With Holmenkollen in the books after tomorrow, the World Cup season now heads into its final stretch with just two stops remaining: the city sprint in Tallinn, Estonia, and the World Cup Finals in Lahti, Finland. After months of racing, training, and travel—not to mention the emotional and physical toll of the World Championships—fatigue is setting in across the field. And for Diggins and Schumacher, today’s performances proved that they’re still fighting and still in the mix. With just a few races remaining, the U.S. squad will look to carry this momentum through the season's final push. 

Results
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Men