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

Kyle Negomir came into the Games looking forward to enjoying the moment and all the sights, sounds and glory that surround the Olympics. 

“I think that was the most fun any of us will have, skiing Bormio, and to have a show like this where you know you have such a big audience to show what I've spent the last 25 years perfecting, that was super special,” Negomir said after starting with bib 27 and finishing 10th to lead Team USA in the men’s downhill.

Switzerland’s Franjo Von Allmen won the downhill gold, followed by Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris taking the silver and bronze medals, respectively

With brilliant sunshine and spring-like temperature basking the Stelvio slope, Negomir skied to a career-best downhill result. Bryce Bennett, racing in his final Olympic downhill, was 13th. Ryan Cochran Siegle was 18th, and Sam Morse finished 19th.

“It was inspiring to run this downhill course, the Olympics on a sunny day,” Morse said. “Yeah, that was truly a dream come true!”

For Bennett, Saturday’s race capped an Olympic journey that spanned three Games - PyeongChang, Beijing, and now Bormio.

"Obviously, you want to win a medal at the Olympics, but sometimes it's more than that, and using the Olympics to bring your best out,” Bennett said. “That's what's pretty special about the Olympics. And I felt like I did that.”

“It’s been 12 years of putting in a lot of work and making three Olympic teams and a lot of sacrifice,” he added. “A  lot of sacrifice for myself and a lot of sacrifice for my wife and family now. So I can hang my hat pretty high on that. It hasn't been the most insane career, but I've had a lot of super special performances, and I’ll be proud of those for the rest of my life.”

Up next, the men’s team combined will take place on Monday, followed by the men’s super-G on Wednesday.

RESULTS
Men’s Olympic downhill
 

In a standout performance at Sunday’s men’s World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, the last race before the Olympic Games begin, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle charged down the challenging Nationale slope to claim third place. 

The sun came out in Crans-Montana, a stark contrast to the flat light the women encountered over the previous days. Cochran-Siegle, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist in super-G, delivered one of his best runs of the season to stand on the podium for the second time of the 2025-26 season. He skied fluidly, carrying and building speed consistently throughout the gliding course. 

“I’m just trying to ski with some joy and fun,” said Cochran-Siegle. “I was just more focused on enjoying it. It’s so rare that we get days like this – nice sunshine on a sunny slope with fun terrain, so I was really just trying to enjoy that.”

Cochran-Siegle’s most recent World Cup podium came on December 4, 2025, when he finished second in the downhill at the Stifel Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Crans-Montana marked his fifth career World Cup podium and fourth in downhill, setting himself up nicely for the Olympic Games. 

“I just gotta reset. Every venue is unique and obviously Bormio will be really exciting,” said Cochran-Sielge. “The Olympics are a huge part of the sport and just the global attention of sports in general is super cool… I’ll take today with me and then embrace the challenge that will be coming up this next week.”

Bryce Bennett was the next top American, finishing 18th. Wiley Maple also finished in the points in 29th place. Kyle Negomir was 40th, Erik Arvidsson 41st, Jared Goldberg 48th, Sam Morse 50th and Isaiah Nelson 54th. 

The men race first at the Olympic Games, beginning downhill training on Feb. 4 with the downhill scheduled for Feb. 7, the morning after Opening Ceremony. 

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson delivered a career-defining performance on Saturday in Crans-Montana, Switzerland charging to her first World Cup super-G podium in third place. 

“I respect super-G so much; I think it's the hardest event,” said Johnson. “I've always wanted to be good at it, but I did not expect to get there today and I did not expect that run to be what got me to the podium, but I am happy.” 

On a fast, demanding super-G track, Johnson put together a confident and aggressive run from bib 29. Coming in the back of the top 30 starters, many thought the race was more or less over until Johnson came barreling down with high speeds and green lights. Split after split showed Johnson was in for a big day. The second she crossed the line and saw that she was on the podium, she was emotional and shocked. The result marks the first time in her career that Johnson has finished inside the top three in super-G, adding a major milestone to a career already highlighted by strong downhill results.

“It felt fast, because it was sort of similar to the downhill,” said Johnson. “I haven’t been having a particularly good super-G season so I just wanted to come out and give it my best.” 

It was also a strong day for young up-and-comer Mary Bocock, who landed 15th. Her first top-15 finish in the World Cup and her best result to build confidence as she enters the games next week. 

“I was a little nervous, but I'm very happy about it,” said Bocock. “I love this track because it's very technical and so I'm very happy that I was able to execute my plan.” 

There were strong results across the board for the team with Jackie Wiles snagging the Stifel Bibbo Award in 17th from bib 47 and Tricia Mangan skiing to a strong 19th place - one of her best results this season. Keely Cashman rounded out the U.S. skiers in 25th. Haley Cutler also raced but landed outside the 30 in 36th place. 

The Crans Montana World Cup races this weekend were honoring the victims of the tragic fire just one month prior with a moment of silence and other commemorations to the lives lost. It was fitting for Swiss skier Malorie Blanc to win the World Cup in front of the hometown crowd, making for a very emotional and stunning moment for the skier and mountain community. In second place was the super-G red bib holder, Sofia Goggia. 

This super-G race marked the final regular-season World Cup race before the upcoming Milano Cortina Games that start with women’s speed in Cortina. 

RESULTS
Women's super-G

Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s Ben Ritchie delivered another strong performance under the lights in Schladming, Austria, finishing 13th in the men’s night slalom. This is notably his best result of the season and comes off his previous 15th-place finish last weekend in Kitzbühel, Austria. 

“It felt good to make some good turns, with one race left in the season I am going to keep pushing,” said Ritchie. 

Ritchie attacked the Planai course with intent and composure from the opening run, skiing aggressively yet in control to put himself just inside the top 30. But he was given a great opportunity to hammer down run two and make himself a move.  In front of the chaotic Austrian crowd, Ritchie did just that. He skied to the second fastest second run and moved up from 30th to 13th place. A very solid effort on the technically demanding course. 

“It was a really hard course and the surface was super slick as well,” said Ritchie. “You really had to move and fight the whole way.” 

Also posting a notable result for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team was Luke Winters, who finished 19th to earn his first World Cup slalom points since 2023. Winters has been working extremely hard the past couple of seasons to find his way back in the top 30 slalom skiers, and this race was a great moment for him. 

The winner of the race was Norwegian Viking Henrik Kristoffersen, in second was fellow Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath and in third was Frenchman Clement Noel. 

The men’s slalom tour only has one more stop before it ends at finals in Kranjska Gora in late February. 

RESULTS
men's slalom

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

On Sunday’s slalom in Kitzbühel, Austria, Stifel U.S. Ski Team slalom specialist Ben Ritchie rediscovered his groove, claiming 15th in the men’s slalom. 

It has been a challenging season for Ritchie. After posting career-best results in the 2024-25 season, he struggled to finish a slalom until Sunday. In front of the lively Austrian crowd, Ritchie skied with precision and confidence to land 14th on the first run from bib 31.

“It’s been a difficult season,” said Ritchie. “But today, I felt like I finally put it all together again.”

On the second run, Ritchie focused on managing the pressure and nerves that had been building throughout the season. Staying calm, he skied smart to remain within the top 15. The Olympic qualification window is already closed, which means Ritchie did not meet the criteria to make the Milano Cortina Games, but he is focused on the rest of the World Cup season. 

“With only two slalom races left, I just plan to send hard,” Ritchie said. “I know the skiing is there, and I want to finish the season strong.”

Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammates Jett Seymour and Cooper Puckett also competed but did not advance to the second run. The race was won by Austria’s Manuel Feller, cheered on by the home crowd, followed by Switzerland’s Loic Meillard in second and Germany’s Linus Strasser in third.

The men return to slalom action on Wednesday for the classic Schladming night slalom.

RESULTS
Men's slalom

Stifel U.S. Ski Team alpine star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin delivered another historic performance Sunday, Jan. 25, earning her 108th career World Cup victory with a dominant win in the women’s slalom at Špindlerův Mlýn. With the victory, she clinched her ninth career Crystal Globe—setting a record for most discipline globe titles won by an individual athlete. 

“This race for me is symbolizing hope, beginnings and new chapters in life,” said Shiffrin. “Something about this place is so special, I'm just always really happy to be here.” 

Shiffrin was untouchable across both runs, charging from the start and finishing 1.26 seconds ahead of the field on run one to then win the race by a total margin of 1.67, reinforcing her status as the most successful alpine skier in history. 

“I felt like there were so many things to think about during this day and I was not really thinking about the Globe, but I of course knew, it’s crazy,” said Shiffrin

The victory not only extended her all-time World Cup win record but also secured her ninth career slalom Crystal Globe, an unprecedented mark in the discipline, surpassing the previous record held by teammate Lindsey Vonn and retired great Ingemar Stenmark, who both had eight. To clinch the Globe before the Olympics underscores the sheer dominance of Shiffrin’s slalom skiing. It was her seventh slalom win this season, and 71st slalom victory of her career.

It was also an impressive day for young up-and-comer Liv Moritz, who not only earned her first World Cup points but also landed 13th with a great performance of two solid slalom runs. Mortitz adds to the long list of women who have scored points for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team this season. Mortiz is a dual sport athlete, and is also on the NCAA D1 soccer team at the University of Denver. 

“I am super happy,” said Moritz. “I was trying to go into the second run with no expectations so I am just super proud of how I did.” 

Rounding out the podium was Switzerland’s Camille Rast in second and Germany’s Emma Aicher in third.  Teammates Paula Moltzan, Nina O’Brien and AJ Hurt were all sitting in a good spot after first run, in fourth, seventh and 16th place, respectively, but did not finish second run. Katie Hensien and Elisabeth Bocock did not finish first run. All are OK.  

Following the slalom race, Shiffrin sits in first in the overall standings, extending her lead to 1,133 points, followed by Camille Rast of Switzerland and Emma Aicher of Germany. The success of the women’s tech team also extended their lead in the Nations Cup standings, with the U.S. team leading the overall standings, as well as in GS, slalom and downhill. 

Špindlerův Mlýn marked the final World Cup for tech athletes before the upcoming Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games in Italy, Feb. 7-22. The last races take place in Crans Montana for both men and women's speed prior to the Games. 

RESULTS
Women's slalom

The Spindleruv Mlyn World Cup women’s giant slalom brought one of the strongest performances of the season from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team with Paula Moltzan charging to a second-place finish, and Mikaela Shiffrin taking third, her first time back on the giant slalom podium in 735 days. 

The strong results continued throughout the top 10, with Nina O’Brien snagging her career-best result in fifth and AJ Hurt in eighth. 

“Coming to the finish line and seeing Paula and Nina right there was crazy. I’ve never experienced that in my career—that was an indescribable moment,” said Shiffrin. 

On a technically demanding course in the Czech Republic, the women delivered two composed and powerful runs. Moltzan skied aggressively from start to finish, moving from fifth place in the first run to earn her third career World Cup podium in giant slalom behind winner Sara Hector from Sweden. It is Moltzan’s fourth podium of the season.

“I am really happy and counting down for my first win, but I am also so excited for my team right now—four girls in the top eighth, it's just amazing,” said Moltzan. 

Shiffrin, who has been a consistent top five giant slalom finisher during the 2025-26 season, crossed the line a mere five one hundredths behind Moltzan to complete the two-three American result. It was a moment of both relief and excitement, as Shiffrin has been building back her giant slalom skiing since sustaining a puncture wound at the Stifel Killington Cup in November 2024. She has also been vocal about the PTSD she has been working through since the crash. Her last GS podium was January 20, 2024, in Jasna, Slovakia. 

“It’s been over two years since I was on a giant slalom podium, and it’s been more than one year since I believed I could be on the podium in giant slalom,” said Shiffrin. 

This double podium and four women in the top eight not only highlight the depth and competitiveness of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women in giant slalom but also underscore the team’s momentum as the season builds toward the Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina. The women’s team leads the standings in the overall Nations Cup, as well as the giant slalom, slalom and downhill disciplines. 

“Everybody is excited and positive and cheering for each other,” said Shiffrin. “But to find the balance between this team spirit and then the individual competitive spirit, it's really hard, and I feel like our team is doing that, which is just so wonderful to be part of.”

Katie Hensien and Elisabeth Bocock both skied fast, but did not finish the first run. They are OK. The women race the final slalom before the Olympic Winter Games on Sunday in Spindleruv Mlyn.

RESULTS
Giant slalom

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