Diggins leads Team USA in women’s cross-country skiathlon with eighth-place finish

MILAN, Metropolitan City of Milan — Four Team USA athletes competed in the women’s cross-country skiathlon Saturday in one of the first full events of the 2026 Winter Games, but the U.S. athletes fell short of bringing home a medal.

Jessie Diggins of Minnesota, Rosie Brennan of Utah, Julia Kern of Massachusetts and Novie McCabe of Washington raced the course at Val di Fiemme, a valley in the heart of the Dolomites. 

Sweden’s Frida Karlsson won gold in 53:45.2, with fellow Swede Ebba Andersson taking silver. Norway’s Heidi Weng earned bronze.

Diggins led the American competitors with an eighth-place finish in 56:06.3, 2:21.1 behind Karlsson. 

The Minnesotan fell behind early in the event after a Finnish competitor fell during a downhill turn in the first lap, causing a bit of a traffic jam on the course, and was unable to make up the time lost.  

Kern placed 24th (4:17.2 back), McCabe was 26th (4:20.9 back). Brennan finished 37th (6:20.8 back).

Diggins, 34, announced plans to retire at the end of this season. The 34-year-old is participating in her fourth Winter Games. She earned a gold, silver and bronze medal from three previous Winter Games.

Competitors start in a line and switch between “classic” and “free” techniques during the cross-country ski race.

“In the classic technique, the skier glides along tracks etched in the snow, while in the free technique (also called ‘skate’), the skier makes lateral movements relative to the direction of travel. At the halfway point of the event, the athletes change from classic to free technique,” according to the Olympics.

The skiathlon did not have a practice run or a qualification round before the Saturday event.