14 years ago, this 33-year-old Minnesota-born skier kickstarted her legendary career, securing her first World Cup win at Toblach. And in what was a sweet coincidence, in the very same venue, she won again! But this time it’s even bigger and better. Coming to the race of December 29th, the sunny day in Toblach began with the US skier facing stiff competition. Facing off against 63 top-notch opponents, it was the American who took the early lead that she never gave up.
As the race progressed, the competition became intense. Despite enjoying the initial lead, Jessie Diggins could see the gap narrowing with the likes of Norwegian star duo Astrid Øyre Slind and Therese Johaug trying to close in. And that was not the only threat. Jessie Diggins also had the standout skier from Finland, Kerttu Niskanen, threatening to gobble up the lead that Diggins had. But the Olympic Champion didn’t allow anybody to take away the lead from her and won the race.
And with that, Diggins has just cemented herself as one of the greatest skiers of the modern day. Competing in Toblach, Italy, Diggins stunned everyone with her scintillating performance at the Tour de Ski. After all, this was her maiden World Cup victory in classic skiing. She has always been a superb talent on the snow. The World Champion already had 21 World Cup victories prior to this, but all of them came in the freestyle category. Her first win in Toblach was in the 5k skate, but her present win is in 15k. Which she achieved, 340 World Cup races later, to cement her as one of the greatest. After all, this means that the US skier is comfortable and capable enough to compete in any distance and category.
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An elated Diggins stated in a post-race conversation with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, “Honestly, I’m really emotional.” She also heaped praise on her coach, saying, “We finally did it. I say we, because I’m looking at my coach right now too. This summer I put in so much work on my double poll and classic skiing, and to be able to sprint like that yesterday and finish like that today—that was something that I didn’t know if I had in me.”
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With the final climb approaching, the 33-year-old upped the ante. She dug deep and displayed a perfect example of a ‘never give up’ attitude. Finally, as she crossed the finish line, Diggins was fist pumping with joy as happy tears ran down her cheeks. This was indeed an emotional and much-anticipated moment for her. While speaking to NBC Sports on November 25th, 2024 Diggins stated, “There are definitely things that I have not won, and most of them start with classic.” Thus, this win was a special one, adding one more leaf to her crown.
However, Diggins’ journey to greatness was not at all a bed full of roses. She has been struggling with a vicious eating disorder that has kept her in and out of the sport repeatedly. In one of her confessions, Diggins admitted how her disorder relapsed as she geared up for the 2023-24 session.
Jessie Diggins opens up about her challenges
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Jessie Diggings has been struggling with mental health issues and eating disorders for a long time. Back at the start of the 2023 season, Diggins had bad news for her fans. Over a video conference call with the Olympics.com, she opened up about her eating disorder. Shockingly, this has bothered her repeatedly despite being into fitness for about 12 years now. Explaining her struggles, the US skier opined that her disorder was not necessarily about food. “It’s a coping mechanism. Now, it’s not a very good coping mechanism… But it was a coping mechanism for stress and control and perfectionism.,” said Diggins. She has talked about the disorder in her 2020 memoir, ‘Brave Enough,’ as well.
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She also doubled down on the nuances of her disorder. Diggins opined that in such a case, it becomes difficult for her to process her days. She becomes more sluggish, which results in completely disrupting her days. However, Diggins is heavily thankful to her team, which works relentlessly to ensure the best for her. Citing an example, Diggins mentioned that she was able to win the Overall World Cup despite going through one of her rough phases due to the incredible help from her care team. Thus, having a knack for demolishing her hurdles, Jessie Diggins has now undoubtedly etched her name into the skiing books of evergreen legends.
US Skier Wins Historic Skiing Title to Gain the ‘Greatest’ Skier Honor After Emotional Win
