A season that began with fewer tangible goals and more uncertainty concluded with jubilation and some serious hardware for Jessie Diggins.
The Afton native and 2010 Stillwater Area High School graduate secured the FIS World Cup distance and overall points titles for the second time — adding the coveted Crystal Globes to a list of achievements that already established her as this country’s most decorated cross-country skier.
Diggins closed out the season with a victory in the 20-kilometer freestyle race on Sunday, March 17 in Falun, Sweden. It was her sixth victory and 12th individual podium of the 2023-24 World Cup season.
“My only goal was to have the most fun,” Diggins told reporters after the race. “I wanted to ski a brave race and put my whole heart out there and that’s what I did. I’m really proud of how the season ended, but I’m even more proud of my team for being there for me.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs and it hasn’t been easy. It’s been a hard year and that’s why it’s so special that we did it together. It was very cool to win the globes but it was even more important that I had fun today.“
Diggins clinched the season-long distance title after placing fifth in the 10-kilometer classic race on Saturday, March 16 and carried a 75-point advantage in the overall standings ahead of Linn Svahn of Sweden, who won the sprint title.
With a 75-point lead in the standings, Diggins needed only a top-20 finish in the final race to clinch the overall title. She easily surpassed that while holding off Heidi Weng of Norway by less than a second and Anne Kjersti Kalvaa of Norway by more than two seconds for the victory.
Diggins finished 175 points (2,746-2,571) points ahead of Svahn in the final overall standings.
Her six golds and 12 podiums in a single season are both records for an American skier. It was a remarkable season by any measure, but even more so because of the challenges she faced preparing for the World Cup campaign after disclosing a relapse of an eating disorder she has battled for more than a decade. Prior to departing for Europe, the 32-year-old said she was setting no “results goals” for the season.
“I’m focusing on just doing my best and taking it one day at a time and one race at a time,” Diggins said. “I’m not making promises for the whole season.”
Her season included positive results at many familiar World Cup stops throughout Europe — and also a historic trip home to Minneapolis where she placed third in the 10-kilometer freestyle race on Feb. 18 as part of the Loppet Cup at Theodore Wirth Park.
It marked the first time Diggins has raced in Minnesota in more than a decade and the first time a World Cup event has been hosted in the United States in 23 years.
Making the most of her time in the states, Diggins followed that up with a victory in the 50th annual American Birkebeiner 50-kilometer freestyle race on Feb. 24 in Cable, Wis.
It was all part of an epic international journey for Diggins, who posted several thoughts in a reflective social media post the night before the season’s final race in Sweden.
“There are so many variables that are outside my control when it comes to ski racing, and all year my focus has simply been to do the best that I can in each moment. And that applies to my life outside the track, too,” Diggins said. “The biggest victory for me from this whole season has been getting to the start line. Recovering from an eating disorder is a constant battle, and fighting it in the spotlight has been hard on me at times.
“I don’t regret sharing my story for an instant, because so many of you have shared with me how my words helped you find the courage to ask for help, to not be as hard on yourself, to learn about mental health so you could support someone you love. To help even one person would have been enough. But this… this has been overwhelming in the best possible way.”
Diggins became the first American woman to win the overall Crystal Globe in 2021, when she also won the distance title.
Bill Koch won the men’s title in 1981-82 to become the first and only other American to win an Overall Crystal Globe. Kikkan Randall, who joined Diggins to win Olympic gold in the team sprint in 2018, won three straight Sprint Crystal Globes in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Diggins, a three-time individual state champion for the Ponies, placed second in the overall World Cup standings in 2018, 2022 and 2023.
Contact Stuart Groskreutz at stuart.groskreutz@apgecm.com
Jessie Diggins podiums in 2023-24
FIS World Cup
Date Location Discipline Finish
Nov. 26 Ruka, Finland 20k freestyle 2nd
Dec. 2 Gallivare, Sweden 10k freestyle 1st
Dec. 3 Gallivare, Sweden 4x7.5k relay 3rd
Dec. 10 Ostersund, Sweden 10k freestyle 1st
Dec. 16 Trondheim, Norway Skiathlon 2nd
Dec. 31 Toblach, Italy 10k classic-stage 3rd
Jan. 1 Toblach, Italy 25k pursuit-stage 1st
Jan. 3 Davos, Switzerland Fr sprint-stage 3rd
Jan. 4 Davos, Switzerland 20k pursuit-stage 3rd
Jan. 7 Tour de Ski overall standings 1st
Jan. 28 Goms, Switzerland 20k freestyle 1st
Feb. 9 Canmore, Canada 15k freestyle 1st
Feb. 18 Minneapolis, MN 10k freestyle 3rd
March 17 Falun, Sweden 20k freestyle 1st
FIS distance and overall points champion
Most Popular
Comments / 0