Jessie Diggins Eyes Olympic Medal in Final Season at 34

Jessie Diggins is racing toward her last Olympic Games with the same fearless energy that made her a champion.

The 34-year-old Minnesota native is finishing her final season as the most successful cross-country skier in U.S. history. She's captured 33 World Cup victories, three World Cup titles, and brought home four Olympic medals since 2018.

That breakthrough moment came in South Korea when Diggins and teammate Kikkan Randall stunned the skiing world with Olympic gold in the team sprint. Diggins crossed the finish line just one-fifth of a second ahead of Sweden's Stina Nilsson, ending a 42-year American medal drought in the sport.

She didn't stop there. Over the next eight years, Diggins kept winning against the Scandinavian skiers who dominate the sport, becoming a household name in a country where cross-country skiing barely registers as mainstream.

Her secret weapon is surprisingly simple: she learned to love the grind. "The award ceremony is the coolest ten minutes of your life, but then it's over," Diggins says. "What you're left with is the process."

That process looks intense. Cross-country skiing demands mastering multiple techniques while racing long distances in brutal cold, finishing with lung-crushing sprints. Summer training includes roller skiing on Vermont roads and countless hours in the gym.

Why This Inspires

Diggins hasn't just collected medals. She's used her platform to advocate for climate action, mental health awareness, and social justice causes she believes in.

Training partner Julia Kern says Diggins has elevated the entire U.S. team. "What I love is that we push each other," Kern explains. The Americans are heading to Milan-Cortina with serious medal potential across multiple events.

At an age when many athletes have retired, Diggins is proving that peak performance isn't just about youth. She's racing smarter, training harder, and competing with the same joy she brought to her high school ski team in Afton, Minnesota two decades ago.

The Milan Olympics will mark the end of an era, but Diggins is making sure her final season counts.