For Jesse Diggins, the struggle turned into something rewarding.
The 34-year-old American cross-country skier, despite suffering from bruised ribs, pushed through to win a bronze medal in the women’s 10km freestyle event during the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics on Thursday.
She finished the race in 23 minutes and 38.9 seconds but collapsed at the line, marking her fourth Olympic medal.
“I really need a new body,” she remarked to reporters afterward. “Honestly, I might be the happiest and most grateful bronze medalist in the world.”
Reflecting on the tough moments, she added, “It’s been a really painful week. Just two days ago, I was at a loss.”
Hailing from Minnesota, Diggins previously made history by winning Team USA’s first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing alongside Kikkan Randall at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She also secured two medals in the 2022 Beijing Games, taking home bronze in the classic sprint and silver in the 30km freestyle.
This year’s Olympics didn’t start well for her, though. A disappointing fifth place in the 10km+10km skathlon compounded her struggles, which included injuring her ribs in a fall that prevented her from reaching the quarterfinals in Tuesday’s Women’s Sprint Classic. This marked the end of her impressive top-10 streak at the last two Olympics.
In Thursday’s race, she was outpaced by Sweden’s Frida Karlsson (22:49.2) and Eva Andersson (23:35.8) who claimed gold and silver, respectively.
2026 Winter Olympics
After her tough finish, Diggins rested in the snow for several minutes before American teammate Haley Swarble helped her up by taking off her skis.
Despite the pain, she managed to celebrate on the podium, as the crowd cheered her name, chanting “Jesse, Jesse!”
