Lindsey Vonn may have gone into the Pyeongchang Olympics as America’s ‘Golden Girl’, but the guess here is that Afton’s own Jessie Diggins is about to ski off with that title.
Diggins, with her good looks and upbeat personality, had already attracted her fair share of pre-event media attention including a commercial campaign with Comcast. She was featured in a pre-games spot called ‘Big Farewell’, and an in-game follow-up called ‘Small Town Celebration’, but the spotlight only figures to intensify after what Jessie delivered Wednesday.
Diggins teamed with long-time Olympian Kikkan Randall to win Gold in the Women’s Sprint Relay, featuring a finish that is destined to be replayed for decades to come. After getting tagged by Randall with the team in 3rd place, Diggins engaged in a duel with skiers from Norway and Sweden, that went right down to the wire.
To this point, Jessie seemed destined to be one the games “hard luck” stories, finishing just off the podium in multiple races, including missing out on a bronze medal by just 3.3 seconds in the Women’s 10km race. Afterwards, Diggins was asked about how it felt coming so close, only to come up short again.
“Don’t be sorry for me because I just missed a medal..be happy WITH me, because I fought like hell today! I pushed my body so far past its limits I’m actually kind of amazed I didn’t pass out on that final climb. Looking back and knowing you gave it absolutely everything you had without holding back is a great feeling.”
That sort of positivity would seem to be required in a sport as physically demanding as cross-country skiing, and Diggins is 100% authentic, something else that savvy marketers can’t get enough of. But before Jessie starts to field offers, she and Randall had some unfinished business. The teammates, who became the USA’s first-ever World Champions by winning this same event back in 2011, were determined to claim the first-ever women’s cross-country Olympic ski medal for Team USA.
Turns out the Americans, who had posted the fastest time in the semifinals, saved their best for last. The appropriately named Diggins dug deep and delivered the race of a lifetime, featuring a finish that was straight out of Hollywood.
“I just felt unstoppable, I am in the best shape of my life right now for sure,” Diggins told the USA Today. “That feeling of crossing the line and having Kikkan tackle me was the coolest thing ever.”
Not sure how Jessie will feel about her phone blowing up with endorsement deals, but rest assured it will (if it hasn’t started already). Still, you can’t throw out the idea that the 26-year old Diggins will be back to try this Olympic thing again in the future.
“We peak later than some other (athletes) because of how long it takes to build fitness, so most (cross-country) athletes reach the peak of their career between the ages of 27-33.”
Sweden took the silver medal, finishing just .19 seconds behind, while Norway won bronze, almost 3 seconds back.
