Jessie Diggins’ incredible career is coming to an end.
The most decorated cross country skier in U.S. history announced Wednesday, Nov. 19, that this will be her final season. She plans to compete at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, her fourth, before finishing her career on home snow at the World Cup Finals in Lake Placid, New York. The finals are March 19-22.
‘I hope I’m remembered not just for the pain cave and ability to suffer deeply for a team that I love and a sport I care about so much, but for the joy, sense of fun on snow, heart-on-sleeve racing, deep vulnerability and openness that I’ve brought to everything I do,’ Diggins said in the release announcing her retirement.
Diggins, 34, set new standards for U.S. cross country skiers. She and Kikkan Randall gave the United States its first Olympic gold in cross country when they won the team sprint at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018. Four years later, Diggins became the first American to win an individual sprint medal at the Games, taking bronze. She also won silver in the 30k freestyle in Beijing.
Diggins is the reigning overall champion, a title she’s won three times. Her first, in 2021, was the first by a U.S. woman and first for any American since Bill Koch did it in 1982. She’s the only non-European woman to win the overall trophy.
Diggins also was the first American to win an individual gold at the world championships, winning the 10k skate in 2023. She has seven medals overall from the world championships.
But she didn’t just leave her mark on the snow. Diggins has been an outspoken advocate for mental health, sharing details of her eating disorder and her recovery.
‘I’m proud of how hard I’ve worked to lead a team as well as how I’ve worked to help change an entire sport’s culture around mental health – how we talk about it, how we’re allowed to ask for help and how we help athletes in need,’ Diggins said.
‘I’ve tried to become the advocate and role model that 18-year-old Jessie needed,’ said Diggins, who puts sparkles on her cheeks when she races to remind herself to have fun. ‘Whether or not I’ve succeeded in that, I am deeply proud of having the courage to put my own life story out there to bring about the change I wanted to see.”
