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."
Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) used a strong performance in the free portion of the women's skiathlon event to finish eighth in competition at the Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center Saturday afternoon. Diggins found herself in 27th place after covering the classic portion of the course in 20:01.7, but improved to a 19:29.5 in the free portion for a final time of 1:31.9, 1:20.7 off the podium pace. The gold medal went to Marit Bjoergen of Norway in 38:33.6, while Sweden's Charlotte Kalla took the silver in 38:35.4. Norway's Heidi Weng won the bronze in 38:46.8. (Dml - Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Jessie Diggins (15) of Afton, Minn. made her way up an uphill section of the course during the skiathlon event. Diggins used a strong performance in the free portion of the women's skiathlon event to finish eighth in competition at the Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center Saturday afternoon. Diggens found herself in 27th place after covering the classic portion of the course in 20:01.7, but improved to a 19:29.5 in the free portion for a final time of 1:31.9, 1:20.7 off the podium pace. The gold medal went to Marit Bjoergen of Norway in 38:33.6, while Sweden's Charlotte Kalla took the silver in 38:35.4. Norway's Heidi Weng won the bronze in 38:46.8. (Dml - Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) used a strong performance in the free portion of the women's skiathlon event to finish eighth in competition at the Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Center Saturday afternoon. Diggins found herself in 27th place after covering the classic portion of the course in 20:01.7, but improved to a 19:29.5 in the free portion for a final time of 1:31.9, 1:20.7 off the podium pace. The gold medal went to Marit Bjoergen of Norway in 38:33.6, while Sweden's Charlotte Kalla took the silver in 38:35.4. Norway's Heidi Weng won the bronze in 38:46.8. (Dml - Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
