Carrie chats with fellow Minnesotan and Olympic Gold Medalist Jessie Diggins! They chat about her new book (“Brave Enough”), her battle with an eating disorder, and, of course, skiing!
Recorded November 25, 2019
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Jessie Diggins
Olympic Experience:
– Two-time Olympian (2014, 2018); Olympic medalist (1 gold)
– PyeongChang 2018, gold (team sprint freestyle), 5th (7.5/7.5K skiathlon), 5th (10K freestyle), 5th (4x5K relay), 6th (sprint classic), 7th (30K mass start classic)
– Sochi 2014, 8th (7.5/7.5K skiathlon, 4X5K relay), 13th (sprint freestyle), 38th (30K mass start)
World Championship Experience:
– Most recent: 2017 – silver (sprint freestyle), bronze (team sprint classic), 4th (4x5K relay), 5th (30K mass start), DNF (7.5/7.5K skiathlon)
– Years of participation: 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
– Medals: 4 (1 gold, 2 silvers, 1 bronze)
– Gold – 2013 (team sprint freestyle)
– Silver – 2015 (10K freestyle), 2017 (sprint freestyle),
– Bronze – 2017 (team sprint classic)
– Part of the first-ever U.S. team to win a world cup team sprint event, becoming the first U.S. cross-country skier to win a world championship gold medal (with Randall)
Other Career Highlights:
– 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, 6th (overall), 7th (distance), 10th (sprint)
– 2016 FIS World Cup Standings, 8th (sprint, overall), 9th (distance)
On February 21st , 2018, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Jessie Diggins lunged at the finish in an epic, come-from-behind victory to grasp an historic first-ever Olympic medal for Team USA’s Women’s Cross Country Team. Diggins’ ferocious attack over the closing 100 meters of the race electrified the capacity crowd and a global television audience, and will forever be remembered as the defining moment of the 2018 Olympic Games!
Jessie’s herculean effort and infectious, positive energy not only won over the hearts of ski fans world wide, but also resulted in her being selected by her fellow Team USA athletes to carry the flag at the Closing Ceremony.
Jessie Diggins was cross country skiing before she could walk, hitching a ride in her Dad’s backpack, pulling his hair and telling him to ‘Mush!’ The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and by three years old she was on skis of her own, sharing Dad’s passion for the sport. Little did they know at the time that a ferocious, ground-breaking competitor was in the making.
Jessie is known for two things, being able to “go deep into the pain cave”, ski-speak for pushing herself to the edge and beyond, and doing it with style, with a smile and with sparkles. Jessie began the team’s tradition of painting their faces on race day and finishing it up with a dusting of sparkles.
From Afton, MN, with a background in dance, swimming and soccer, Jessie was a nine- time Junior National Champion on skis.
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