Jessie Diggins Falters in Milan Cortina Olympic Debut, Finishes Eighth
In a disappointing start to her Olympic career, American skier Jessie Diggins fell in the early stages of Saturday's 20-kilometer women's skiathlon at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. The top-ranked Diggins struggled throughout the grueling event on wet and energy-draining snow, ultimately crossing the finish line eighth - a whopping 2 minutes, 21.1 seconds behind gold medalist Frida Karlsson of Sweden.
Despite her tough outing, Diggins expressed pride in her performance, attributing her struggles to factors outside of her control. "There's a lot of things outside of my control... It just didn't work out for me today, but that's OK," she said. The 26-year-old American also praised her heart, grit, and commitment, which have carried her through the lead-up to this event.
Diggins' fall was a notable one, as she tumbled together with Norway's Karoline Simpson-Larsen in the classic stage of the race. However, the U.S. skier showed resilience by mounting a late surge that earned her eighth place. Meanwhile, Karlsson dominated the competition, clocking 53 minutes, 45.2 seconds to secure gold ahead of fellow Swede Ebba Andersson and Norway's Heidi Weng.
For Diggins, this was a bittersweet conclusion to her final season in competitive skiing. The American's performance will undoubtedly be scrutinized as she seeks to make the most of her final Olympic appearance. In contrast, Karlsson seemed unfazed by the challenging snow conditions, executing flawless ski exchanges and losing chasers early to lap many at the back.
"I just had so much fun out there today, and I am really proud of my whole team," Karlsson said after her victory, which marked a rare gold medal for Sweden in cross-country skiing. The 26-year-old also drew on her experience from previous competitions, including a bronze medal in the relay at the Beijing Games four years ago.
The snow conditions proved tough for competitors, with many struggling to keep pace in the warm and wet environment. For Andersson, it was a case of perseverance: "So you have to be tough with your head... just try to keep up the pace even though you are really tired."
In a disappointing start to her Olympic career, American skier Jessie Diggins fell in the early stages of Saturday's 20-kilometer women's skiathlon at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. The top-ranked Diggins struggled throughout the grueling event on wet and energy-draining snow, ultimately crossing the finish line eighth - a whopping 2 minutes, 21.1 seconds behind gold medalist Frida Karlsson of Sweden.
Despite her tough outing, Diggins expressed pride in her performance, attributing her struggles to factors outside of her control. "There's a lot of things outside of my control... It just didn't work out for me today, but that's OK," she said. The 26-year-old American also praised her heart, grit, and commitment, which have carried her through the lead-up to this event.
Diggins' fall was a notable one, as she tumbled together with Norway's Karoline Simpson-Larsen in the classic stage of the race. However, the U.S. skier showed resilience by mounting a late surge that earned her eighth place. Meanwhile, Karlsson dominated the competition, clocking 53 minutes, 45.2 seconds to secure gold ahead of fellow Swede Ebba Andersson and Norway's Heidi Weng.
For Diggins, this was a bittersweet conclusion to her final season in competitive skiing. The American's performance will undoubtedly be scrutinized as she seeks to make the most of her final Olympic appearance. In contrast, Karlsson seemed unfazed by the challenging snow conditions, executing flawless ski exchanges and losing chasers early to lap many at the back.
"I just had so much fun out there today, and I am really proud of my whole team," Karlsson said after her victory, which marked a rare gold medal for Sweden in cross-country skiing. The 26-year-old also drew on her experience from previous competitions, including a bronze medal in the relay at the Beijing Games four years ago.
The snow conditions proved tough for competitors, with many struggling to keep pace in the warm and wet environment. For Andersson, it was a case of perseverance: "So you have to be tough with your head... just try to keep up the pace even though you are really tired."
Jessie Diggins is still an amazing skier and I'm so proud of her for giving it her all out there on the slopes. 8th place isn't bad at all, especially considering those crazy snow conditions 
! She's got heart, grit, and commitment - what more can you ask for? 
It's bittersweet that this is her last season in competitive skiing, but I'm sure she'll stay involved in the sport she loves. Frida Karlsson is on fire though 
- I'm loving the confidence and focus she brought to the competition! 
. I mean, she's one of the top-ranked skiers out there, so it's surprising to see her falter in such a big event. But, at the same time, I can kinda get where she's coming from - those snow conditions were pretty brutal, and it's not like she could've controlled them all by herself.
. Maybe she'll bounce back from this, though? I'd love to see her come back stronger in the next events. On the other hand, it's awesome that Karlsson dominated like that - she's definitely a skier to watch 
.
but I'm proud of her anyway! 8th place is still a great achievement 
. And can we talk about how awesome Karoline Simpson-Larsen is? 
She was all over the place and somehow still managed to keep up with Diggins! 
The snow conditions really threw everyone off, so I'm not surprised anyone had an off day 
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Life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes our best performances don't come when we want them to. But it's how we respond that matters - Diggins showed incredible heart and grit, even if she didn't get the result she was hoping for. The Olympics are all about learning from your mistakes, so here's to trying again! 
. I'm loving the positive vibes from both athletes, they're already talking about next steps and having fun, that's what it's all about 
.
. I mean, I know she's not gonna win it all and that's okay, but I was kinda rooting for her, especially after all the hype about her comeback season. The snow conditions were pretty brutal too, but still... 2 minutes and 21 seconds behind gold? That's just crazy 
.
But honestly, it's awesome to see the girls supporting each other, especially with the bittersweet conclusion to Jessie's competitive skiing career 
.
, am i right? americans always struggle in winter sports 
. poor jessie diggins, at least she said something positive about it tho 
. sweden's got this girl karlsson on fire 
. snow conditions were crazy tho, glad those athletes had fun despite the struggles 
anyway i feel bad for her because this is literally her last Olympics, you know? 
what do u think about Karoline Simpson-Larsen's fall with Jessie though?! 
. Frida Karlsson seems like a total pro tho, I wish more athletes had that kind of calm & focus under pressure 
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But I guess we'll just have to wait and see how she recovers from this for her final season...
. And Frida Karlsson just dominated the whole thing, that's insane! 
Diggins's fall was like 
but she got back up with 
which is still a great job considering the snow conditions were 
. I feel bad for her, though, 'cause she was really looking forward to this Olympics 
. Diggins said it wasn't about her, but more about the factors outside her control 
!