A rested Jessie Diggins returning to competition, less than a week after Olympics

After six tough races at the Beijing Olympics, Jessie Diggins had earned a break. But the World Cup calendar didn't leave her much time to take one.

Diggins will jump right back into cross-country racing this weekend at a World Cup event in Lahti, Finland, just six days after concluding a historic performance at the Winter Games. The Afton skier plans to compete in a freestyle sprint Saturday and a 10-kilometer classic Sunday. She currently is in third place in the World Cup overall standings and third in the sprint standings.

Last Sunday, Diggins finished her Olympics with a silver medal in the 30k freestyle, after winning a bronze in the freestyle sprint earlier in the Games. Since then, she has given her body and mind a much-needed break, revitalizing herself with lots of sleep and lots of chocolate.

Five days off might not sound like much, particularly after grinding through the Olympic 30k less than 24 hours after a bout of food poisoning. But when Diggins got back on her skis Wednesday to stretch her legs, she felt ready to go.

"My body was really, really tired, and my brain was also pretty tired,'' Diggins said. "It was really important to make sure I took a few days to just enjoy some downtime with no pressure.

"I'm excited to race with no pressure and no expectations this weekend. I'm just racing because I love it. I'm excited to get back into it.''

Diggins said she hasn't fully processed her performances at her third Olympics. In the sprint, she became the first U.S. woman to win a medal in an individual cross-country skiing event at the Winter Games. Her silver in the 30k equaled the best-ever American finish in an individual Olympic cross-country race, tying Bill Koch's silver in the men's 30k in 1976.

The U.S. team reached several Olympic milestones in Beijing. All four women in the 30k finished in the top 18, the best-ever showing by U.S. women in an Olympic cross-country race. Diggins was in the top eight in all six of her races, and Scott Patterson's eighth place in the men's 30k was the second-best result by an American man in a Winter Games cross-country race, surpassed only by Koch.

Among her favorite memories of the Games, Diggins said, is receiving her silver medal at the Closing Ceremony, which she called "the coolest thing ever.'' She also will remember quieter times with her teammates outside the spotlight.