Gus Schumacher led Team USA in the men’s skiathlon Sunday at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, placing 24th at the Tesero Cross Country Stadium after battling back from an early-race fall.

Schumacher covered the 20k course, which features 10k of classic skiing and 10k of skate skiing, in 48:27.5, finishing 2:16.5 behind Norway’s Johannes Klaebo, who captured gold in 46:11.0. France’s Mathis Desloges earned silver in 46:13.0, while Klaebo’s teammate Martin Nyenget took bronze in 46:13.1. Hunter Wonders was the second American finisher in (49:02.1) in his Olympic debut, alongside teammate Zanden McMullen in 36th (49:26.3), followed by Zak Ketterson in 43rd (50:23.5); both also are first-time Olympians. 

Schumacher’s race was defined early by chaos in the pack. Skiing near the front, he tangled behind Ketterson after a fall that sent both Americans to the back of the field. Ketterson broke a pole while Schumacher quickly recovered and worked his way back into top-30 contention.

“I was dead last after the fall,” said Gus Schumacher. “Unfortunately Zak fell right in front of me and, you know, it was tight coming into that corner and I didn't see what happened to Zak, but into the dropdown, I got one ski around him but the other caught him and spun me around off track. I did what I could, but when the other people at the front are still going as fast, it's hard to catch them. All I could do was ski as smooth as I could for the next 18k. I mean, at that point, it's an individual race for 18k. I feel like I skied well for being back there.”

Schumacher improved on his Olympic skiathlon result from Beijing 2022, where he placed 39th. That year, Scott Patterson — who finished 10th — was the only other American on the start line. With four U.S. men entered in today's event, the lineup reflected growing depth within the U.S. men's cross country program. Despite early starts and tricky maneuvering through the 73-deep field of athletes, each delivered a solid performance in the first race of the Olympics. 

“Today's race was not great, but not horrendous,” said McMullen. “I felt really good in the classic leg and then I don't know what happened in the skate portion. I was cramping up quite a bit, and just didn't have it."

“I fell on that same corner Jessie (Diggins) fell on (yesterday) and I was hopeful that we'd ski it well but coming into it, everyone started snowplowing and freaking out and someone in front of me fell. I fell pretty hard, but I got back up and just burned so many matches catching up to the whole group,” said Ketterson. “I was fighting from there to the finish.”

"It was hard," said Wonders. "It was a hard course with tricky conditions. The skiathlon is difficult because it mixes it up with the muscle groups you use and takes a second to transition, but it was fun! Great Olympic debut."

Team USA will now reset with a rest day before competition resumes Tuesday, Feb. 10, with the men’s and women’s classic sprint.

RESULTS
Men

In the first cross country event of the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, Jessie Diggins led the U.S. contingent in a hard-fought skiathlon to take eighth place. 

It was warm and slushy at the Tesero Stadium in Val di Fiemme, Italy, creating tricky conditions for the pack. Despite early challenges, including a fall right at the beginning of the race, Diggins rallied in the skate portion of the event to ultimately cross the line in eighth.

“There’s a lot of pieces that need to come into place and I was really really encouraged by the skate half, but the classic half, the things out of my control did not go very well,” said Diggins. “I had a crash on the first lap where my tip just disappeared in the slush, and unfortunately, it was a tough spot where you lose all your momentum."

The skiathlon - an event combining 10k classic with 10k of skate - was won by Sweden’s Frida Karlsson, who powered away from the field to claim gold with a commanding performance. Her teammate Ebba Andersson took silver, while Norway’s Heidi Weng, who made up several places in the skate leg, rounded out the podium with bronze. Diggins' fall on the first 10k led her to fall back in the mass start pack, and as the classic skis turned to skate, Diggins turned on the jets, and skied the top three fastest skate legs of the field. Though it was not enough for the medal podium, Diggins gained significant ground and showed her shape and form for the days to come. 

Julia Kern finished in the top 30, finishing in 24th, as well as Novie McCabe, who showed an impressive skate section to move up to 26th place. Rosie Brennan was 37th after one of the best classic events of her season, where she skied in the top 10 for most of the classic 10k.  

Though the race did not produce a medal, it offered promising signs for the races remaining on the calendar. With additional distance and team competitions to come, American skiers will look to build on this foundation and aim for medals in the days ahead.

“It’s nice to know my body is in a good place,” said Diggins. “I’m really happy about that and it’s nice to get things rolling and get into the rhythm of things.”

RESULTS
Women’s Olympic skiathlon

In the final event of the three-race series, the 20k classic, Jessie Diggins was the top American finisher, bringing home her eighth podium of the 2025-26 season and 88th of her career, with a second-place result. The result wrapped up a successful Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team weekend of racing in Goms, Switzerland with three podiums, including the team sprint podium for Gus Schumacher and Ben Ogden, an individual podium for Schumacher and one for Jessie Diggins.

Nestled into the valley below the Swiss Alps, Goms is home to one of the more challenging World Cup courses on the circuit. Similar to what the athletes will race on in the Olympic Winter Games in Val di Fiemme, the course features steep, long uphills, technical descents and little rest in a mass start format. At 5k into the race, Diggins was comfortably in the lead and setting the pace for the lead pack. 5k later, Diggins continued to sit comfortably in the lead pack, surrounded by Norway and Finland. On the final lap of the course, the pace increased, with Diggins, Norway's Astrid Oeyre Sline and Finland's Johanna Matintalo fighting for position. Into the final straightaway, it was a double pole sprint to the finish. Matintalo crossed the line first, throwing her hands in the air, securing her first-ever World Cup win. Diggins was second, only .9 seconds behind, and Slind was third. 

The podium adds another tally to Diggins' illustrious career. She now heads into the Olympics with 88 World Cup podiums and leads the overall World Cup rankings by 223 points over Sweden's Moa Ilar. Diggins also leads the World Cup distance standings, 127 points ahead of Ilar. 

For the U.S. women, Julia Kern had a strong day, in 16th place. Novie McCabe and Hailey Swirbul, who fought their way from the back of the mass start pack, were both in the top 30, in 22nd and 24th. It was McCabe's season-best World Cup result, after taking the 2024-25 season off. Kendall Kramer was the final American woman in the top 30, in 27th. Rosie Brennan was 40th and Sammy Smith 41st. 

For the men, Zak Ketterson was the leading man, in 18th. Shumacher, coming off a World Cup podium 24 hours earlier, was 22nd. Outside of the top 30, Hunter Wonders was 36th, Zanden McMullen 38th, Zach Jayne 52nd, John Steel Hagenbuch 55th and Luke Jager 59th. 

For Diggins, today was all about skiing hard for her family, friends, staff and teammates. "Today, I tried really hard to bring a little joy to people back home watching the races and to leave it all out there - and do what I can here to fight for every second and honor all the people who have been working really hard to get us good skis," she said.  

Now, the athletes will head to a pre-Olympic camp to rest and reset before the Games, which begin with the women's skiathlon on Feb. 7. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Gus Schumacher delivered to the already standout weekend for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team with a second-place finish in the World Cup classic sprint in Goms, Switzerland, marking his second World Cup podium in just 48 hours. The result follows the team sprint a day earlier, when Schumacher and Ben Ogden teamed up to take third place, underscoring the momentum building within the U.S. squad just 14 days out from the Olympic Winter Games.

Sunday’s podium was another milestone result for Schumacher, earning his first-ever World Cup podium in the classic technique, his first individual sprint podium and his second podium of the weekend. From the get-go, Schumacher had one thing on his mind: the final. Through the rounds, Schumacher advanced confidently on the extremely long and tiring Goms course and put himself in a perfect position for his fifth career World Cup podium. Schumacher finished 2.64 seconds behind Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, who claimed victory, while Sweden’s Edvin Anger rounded out the podium in third.

The depth of the U.S. team was on full display in Goms, and the result was promising, with seven athletes in the top 30 and four in the top 10. And the classic sprint will be contested at the Olympic Winter Games. 

"I am psyched, I'm really proud of adapting to a bit of a different sprint course and recognizing where my strengths were, which I think a lot of it was just not getting as tired as some other people on the hill," said Schumacher. "I had really good kick, and that helped me just stride well. Historically, my sprint finishes haven't been amazing, but today I had enough speed on the backstretch... plus the full finish lane was a good like 30 seconds, so I relied on that a little bit and then just stayed up near the front and made good tactical moves."

For the men, through the qualifications, it was Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, Zak Ketterson, Zach Jayne and Schumacher advancing through to the classic sprint heats. Into the heats, Ogden, Schumacher and Schoonmaker punched their tickets to the semifinals. Into the semis, Ogden and Schoonmaker were off the line first, with Ogden advancing through to the final by being the first lucky loser. Schoonmaker was fifth and did not advance. Into the final, it was Schumacher and Ogden back together, but this time, for individual results. Off the start line, they both held their ground behind Klaebo. On the longest climb, Klaebo kicked it into another gear, putting seconds on the rest of the field, yet Schumacher and Sweden's Anger battled it out for second and third. Across the line, Schumacher was on top. Schoonmaker finished 10th, marking his best result of the season and Jayne recorded a career milestone, finishing 27th to earn his first-ever top-30 World Cup result. Schumacher's result now places him seventh in the overall World Cup standings. 

"It was a really big day for the team, and fun to be a part of days like this. On the whole, all of us are feeling pretty good about how today went," said Ogden. "It's pretty thrilling to be a part of this group. We all can learn so much from each other, and every day could be a huge opportunity for anyone on the team. It's fun!"

For the women, Jessie Diggins continued her consistent form with a seventh-place result. Julia Kern placed 15th and Sammy Smith crossed the line in 23rd. Sweden’s Linn Svahn completed a strong resurgence on the World Cup circuit, taking home the win. Germany’s Laura Gimmler continued her World-Cup-podium-weekend by securing her second podium, while Switzerland’s Nadine Faehndrich was third in front of a home-country crowd. Diggins continues her lead in the overall World Cup standings after the sprint race. 

Sunday, the athletes are back at it for the 20k classic. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

"Doing it with Gus, my boy from day one, was pretty fun," Ben Ogden. 

In the first of three races in Goms, Switzerland, Stifel U.S. Ski Team's Gus Schumacher and Ben Ogden teamed up in the team sprint and ultimately brought home the first U.S. men’s team sprint World Cup podium, with a third-place result. Julia Kern and Sammy Smith were fifth, JC Schoonmaker and Zanden McMullen 11th and Lauren Jortberg and Kendall Kramer 15th. 

A day after the U.S. Cross Country Olympic Team was named, it was all hands on deck for the athletes as they entered their final weekend of racing before the Olympic Winter Games kick off Feb. 7. In the team sprint format, athletes were paired into teams of two. To qualify for the heats, both team members had to be in the top 30. All American athletes achieved that. The teams, which consisted of two men’s teams and two women’s teams, were led by Team USA 1: Schumacher/Ogden and Kern/Smith and then Team USA 2: McMullen/Schoonmaker and Kramer/Jortberg. 

In the heats, leg one races the sprint course, then physically tags their teammate for their turn to take a lap. The team skis six laps total of the hilly, high-elevation course. Whoever crossed the finish line first was crowned the winner. 

In the qualifications, Ogden and Schumacher qualified third, setting them up nicely for the heats. Ogden was the “scramble” leg, going off the line first. Throughout the race, Ogden and Schumacher were safe in the top five, holding their strong position each time around the course. Norway was at the front the entirety, with Einar Hedegart and Harald Oestberg Amundsen setting a blistering pace. However, Italy and the USA held their own, trading back and forth for the podium spot. On the final lap, it was all gas. Ogden tagged off to Schumacher for the final leg, and Schumacher battled with Italy’s Federico Pellegrino for second. Ultimately crossing the line in third, it was still a celebration, as the U.S. brought home its first-ever World Cup men’s team sprint podium. Norway was crowned the victor, with Italy in second place. 

"It was really fun. This has been a long time coming," said Schumacher. "We felt like we were strong in this event for a long time, and I think that's true. It was great to have a result that backs that up. Nothing went wrong, we skied well, and it felt good to be a strong part of that, especially securing the position in the last lap. Doing it with Ben was sweet. To come to the finish line... Second slipped through my fingers and I kind of knew that was coming, but he was psyched and it was really fun to share that with him, and always fun to share a big result with a teammate." 

"Crazy that today is the first team sprint podium for the men," said Ogden. "(Sport Director Chris) Grover thought it might be at the finish line and I couldn't believe it at first. But it's honestly a really thrilling statistic and I am super proud to be a part of the first ever. Doing it with Gus, my boy from day one, was pretty fun... A dream come true, really. Super fired up."

For the women, Kern and Smith put together a strong race and finished fifth, gaining valuable team sprint experience going into the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, as this race will be featured on the Olympic schedule. Germany took home the win, with Norway in second and third. 

Sunday, the athletes will be back on the start line for the classic sprint. Qualifications kick off at 4:00 a.m. ET and heats at 6:30 a.m. ET. Watch live on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Men 
Women

Jessie Diggins delivered a strong late-race charge to finish fourth in Sunday’s 10k classic at the World Cup in Oberhof, Germany, closing to within 10 seconds of the podium, finishing the day in fourth place. Five Americans rounded out the 10k classic points. 

On a course with steep descents, tricky climbs and little rest, and with variable snow conditions that deteriorated throughout the day, it was Diggins who led the Americans. Through the course's checkpoints, Diggins' result hovered in the low to mid-teens, before significantly increasing her pace over the final kilometers, climbing the leaderboard and narrowly missing a top-three result. With her fourth place, Diggins continues to lead the overall World Cup standings following the weekend of racing.

Moa Ilar of Sweden claimed the victory, with Austria’s Teresa Stadlober finishing second and Sweden’s Jonna Sundling rounding out the podium.

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team placed five athletes inside the top 30 across the men’s and women’s fields. Rosie Brennan was the next-best American woman, finishing 30th. On the men’s side, Zanden McMullen led the way in 18th, following a strong showing at last week’s U.S. National Championships in Lake Placid, where he won both the 20k skate and the classic sprint national titles. Hunter Wonders finished 24th, while Luke Jager placed 29th.

Hailey Swirbul continued her return to World Cup competition after retiring in 2023, racing in her first World Cup weekend back. The 2022 Olympian made an immediate impact on Saturday by reaching the skate sprint finals and followed up with a 33rd-place finish in Sunday’s 10k classic. The week prior in Lake Placid, Swirbul won the U.S. national title in the 10k classic.

Novie McCabe also made her World Cup comeback in Oberhof after missing much of last season, finishing 35th in the 10k classic. The 2022 Olympian captured the 20k national championship at U.S. Nationals.

Saturday’s standout American performance came from Sammy Smith, who finished 12th in the skate sprint. Smith, a full-time student-athlete at Stanford University and who recently played in the NCAA Division I Soccer National Championships, made her World Cup debut for the season with a career-best individual result, advancing to the semifinals of a World Cup sprint for the first time and finishing as the top-scoring American of the day.

In the men’s 10k classic, Norway’s Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget took the win, followed by Finland’s Iivo Niskanen in second and Norway’s Erik Valnes in third.

Following the end of racing in Oberhof, the U.S. team will rest before heading into the final World Cup competition ahead of the Olympic Winter Games, with three races in Goms, Switzerland. Before Goms, the athletes who have qualified for Team USA will be formally announced. 

RESULTS
Women's 10k classic
Men's 10k classic

Women's skate sprint 
Men's skate sprint