Afton, Minn., native Jessie Diggins has reached the top of the mountain again.
After making history alongside teammate Rosie Brennan last week, helping the U.S. notch its first-ever 1-2 finish in a World Cup cross country ski race, Diggins continued to rewrite the history books Sunday, becoming the first American to win the prestigious and grueling Tour de Ski.
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In the lead heading into the final stage of the 8-race, 10-day competition, Diggins placed second in the climb up Alpe Cermis in Cavalse, Italy, on Sunday to finish 1 minute, 24 seconds ahead of Russia鈥檚 Yuliya Stupak in the overall standings. Sweden鈥檚 Ebba Andersson rounded out the podium spots.
Diggins won two of the competition鈥檚 eight races and was on the podium in four of them.
This is the first time since 2013-14 that a Norwegian did not win the Tour de Ski, a Tour de France-like competition that debuted in 2006-07. No man or woman from the powerhouse ski nation entered this year鈥檚 competitions due to COVID concerns.
As for Diggins, while this might be the biggest individual accomplishment of career, it is not the first time she has stood atop the podium on the international stage. She became a bonafide star a couple of years ago when she teamed with Kikkan Randall to win a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. That marked the first time Team USA earned a gold medal in the sport of cross country skiing.
What鈥檚 next for Diggins? Some rest before finishing out the rest of the World Cup season. She currently leads the overall standings, with Stupak on her heels and teammate Brennan also within striking distance.
鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to see that we aren鈥檛 a team with one star or one great race or one bright moment,鈥� . 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much depth, and that really speaks to how the sport is growing in the U.S.鈥�
