Jessie Diggins, the relentless American cross-country skiing star, once again etched her name into Olympic history with a gutsy performance in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. On Thursday, February 12, Diggins powered through the pain of badly bruised ribs—an injury she suffered just days prior—to claim a hard-fought bronze medal at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme, Italy.
For Diggins, age 34, this wasn’t just another race. It was a test of will, grit, and heart. After crashing hard in the skiathlon on February 9, Diggins faced sleepless nights, her ribs clicking painfully in and out of place. Yet, she refused to bow out. “I just wanted to cross the finish line with nothing left, to control my own effort, that’s what I did out there,” Diggins told TNT Sports after the race. “I’m grateful and lucky that it was enough for bronze but I’m so proud of myself just for getting to the finish line... I felt like I was skiing out of my body the whole time, trying to fight for every single second and to leave it all out there. Just getting to the finish line was going to feel like a gold medal, no matter what.”
The competition was fierce. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson dominated, capturing her second gold of these Games with a blazing time of 22:49.2. Fellow Swede Ebba Andersson secured silver, clocking in at 23:35.8. Diggins, battling through every meter, finished third with a time of 23:38.9—just 0.3 seconds ahead of Norway’s Astrid Oeyre Slind, who clocked 23:42.2. As soon as Diggins crossed the finish line, she collapsed to the snow, writhing in agony but beaming with pride. Her teammate, Hailey Swirbul, was the first to reach her. “She’s so tough, she digs deep,” Swirbul told reporters. “I worked as an EMT last winter and I saw some people in pain for broken bones and Jessie looked comparable, but she’s okay.”
This bronze marks Diggins’ fourth Olympic medal—an extraordinary feat that cements her as one of the most decorated American cross-country skiers in history. She previously won gold in the team sprint at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, bringing home the first-ever Olympic gold for Team USA in the sport. Four years later, she added a silver in the 30km freestyle and a bronze in the individual sprint at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Now, with her Milan Cortina bronze, Diggins has medaled in three consecutive Games—a testament to her consistency and mental toughness.
“I need a new body,” Diggins quipped after her latest race, according to NBC. “Honestly, I think I’m the happiest, most grateful bronze medallist in the whole world. It’s been one heck of a painful week. Two days ago, I was like, I don’t know how I’m going to do this.” She continued, “I’ve been up at night with my ribs clicking in and out of place. It’s just really been hard.” Yet, despite the physical toll, Diggins’ spirit never wavered. “I just felt like I was skiing out of my body the whole time. And I was just trying to fight for every single second and to leave it all out there.”
The drama of the women’s 10km freestyle unfolded against the backdrop of Swedish dominance. Karlsson and Andersson’s gold and silver finishes mean that Swedish women have now claimed seven of nine cross-country skiing medals awarded at Milan Cortina so far. Karlsson, who surged ahead after a powerful hill climb near the finish, later said she felt “bursting with energy” and confident of victory. The Swedish duo celebrated together on the podium, joined by Diggins, who hugged her rivals and soaked in chants of “Jessie! Jessie!” from a crowd filled with her family and friends.
Diggins’ journey to this moment hasn’t been easy. A native of Minnesota, she’s spent more than a decade at the pinnacle of her sport. With 33 career World Cup wins and 87 podium finishes, her impact on American cross-country skiing is undeniable. She first made history in 2018, alongside Kikkan Randall, when they snapped a decades-long U.S. medal drought in the sport. Since then, Diggins has become a fixture on the international stage, inspiring a new generation of American skiers.
This Olympic bronze is especially poignant because Diggins has already announced that this season will be her last. In a heartfelt social media post last November, she shared, “I want to share with you that this will be my final year of ski racing. It’s going to be hard to step away from this sport and team that I love so much, but it also feels right in my heart, and I’m so excited to open a new chapter in my life.” Retirement will become official after the season finale in Lake Placid, New York, in March 2026.
Despite the pain and exhaustion, Diggins isn’t done yet. She’s scheduled to compete in three more events at Milan Cortina: the team relay on February 14, the team sprint on February 18, and the grueling 50km mass start on February 22. With each race, she adds to her legacy, showing the world what it means to compete with courage and resilience.
Team USA’s cross-country skiing success at these Games hasn’t been limited to Diggins. Ben Ogden made history earlier in the week, becoming the second American man ever to win an Olympic cross-country skiing medal with his silver in the sprint classic. In the women’s 10km, Diggins was joined by Novie McCabe (31st place), Kendall Kramer (38th), and Hailey Swirbul (39th) among a field of 111 skiers. The U.S. continues to chase Italy and Norway in the overall medal standings, with Diggins’ bronze representing their first medal of the day.
As the sun set on the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, Diggins could reflect on a race—and a career—defined by perseverance. “I’ve almost never failed to mentally find the will to dig for it,” Diggins told NPR before the Games. “Basically I ask myself one very simple question. ‘How do I want to feel at the finish line?’ I don’t like living with regrets. I don’t want to ever look back and think ‘What if?’”
With the 2026 Winter Olympics still unfolding, all eyes will remain on Jessie Diggins as she takes on her final Olympic challenges. Whether she adds to her medal haul or simply finishes each race with nothing left to give, she’s already proven herself a legend—one stride, one breath, and one unforgettable finish at a time.