KRASNAYA POLYANA, RUSSIA – Afton's Jessie Diggins hoped to finish in the Top 20 in the 15K skiathlon on Saturday. Instead, she surprised herself in her first event at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Diggins passed 17 racers in the second portion of the race and finished 8th overall with a time of 40:05.5. Norway's Marit Bjoergen won the event with a time of 38:33.6.

This was Diggins first of four events and she said she had the least expectations going into this race. She was in 27th place at the halfway point.

"I was hoping to get a Top 20, not a Top 10," she said. "It felt so awesome."