In Jessie Diggins' world, the joy can't happen without the pain. Tuesday, as she raced in a women's 10-kilometer freestyle at the world championships, she felt both at the same time.
Diggins' strategy was to ski with all the happiness she could muster, even when her legs began to go numb. In the end, all she felt was the joy. Diggins, of Afton, Minn., held off a pair of Swedish stars to win the 10k, becoming the first American ever to capture a gold medal in an individual cross-country race at the FIS Nordic world ski championships.
The three-time Olympian put forth her usual gutsy effort to earn another piece of history. She went out hard from the start on a track in Planica, Slovenia, that she described as "the perfect course for me.''
By the 2.2k mark of the individual-start race, Diggins was already in command. She finished in 23 minutes, 40.8 seconds — 14 seconds ahead of Sweden's Frida Karlsson. Ebba Andersson, Karlsson's teammate, was third, another 5.5 seconds back.
"That was so emotional,'' Diggins said to reporters in Planica. "That was amazing. I've just got to say thank you to the team.
"That was one of the best races of my whole life. I knew I felt good and was in good shape, but you also have to have great skis and good wax. I had everything I needed. I'm just so happy.''
With the victory, Diggins, 31, became the first non-European skier to win gold at the world championships since 2017. She also ended Sweden's perfection in Planica. The country's skiers had won all three women's races before the 10k.
Tuesday's race brought Diggins her second medal of these world championships, to go with the bronze she won with Julia Kern in Sunday's team sprint. Diggins now has six medals in world championships competition, more than any other American. During this history-filled season, she also broke the U.S. record for most victories in individual World Cup events (14).
Entering the world championships, Diggins had raced well in 10k freestyles, with a gold, silver and bronze on the World Cup tour this season. Tuesday's technically challenging course suited her perfectly.
"I was just trying to really push as hard as I could,'' she said. "I was really happy about the snow because I could really work the corners. I tried to just ski with a lot of joy and really attack the downhills.''
Diggins started the race one minute after Karlsson. She led Karlsson by 2.9 seconds at the 5.2k mark, a margin that grew to five seconds after 7.7k.
Though Diggins' schedule has not been announced, she is a likely starter for the next women's race, the 4x5k relay Thursday. The women's program ends with a 30k mass start classic on Saturday.
