Jessie Diggins Draws Global Fan Wave in Italy as She Prepares for Final Olympic Race

Jessie Diggins is spending her fourth and final Olympic appearance surrounded by an international outpouring of support as she prepares for the women’s 50-kilometer mass start classic on Sunday, Feb. 22. The attention highlights both her competitive standing — she sits atop the FIS World Cup standings and is a multiple world-title winner — and her role as a leader for a largely inexperienced U. S. team.

Development details — Jessie Diggins

The 34-year-old announced in the fall that she would retire after this season and entered the Games already a three-time Olympic medalist. Competing in Val di Fiemme, Diggins added a bronze in the 10-kilometer freestyle on Feb. 12, making her a four-time Olympic medalist. Earlier in these Games she fell in the skiathlon on Feb. 7 and left that race with bruised ribs, a physical setback that has raced alongside her achievements.

Her record includes the historic team sprint victory in 2018 and podiums in Beijing in 2022 — a bronze in the individual sprint and a silver in the 30-kilometer freestyle. She also holds the top spot in the FIS World Cup standings and has won the last two world titles. Those credentials have amplified interest in her final Olympic start at the Milan Cortina Games.

Context and escalation

Fans have converged on Tesero and the surrounding towns in South Tyrol, turning narrow streets and race venues into a showcase of memorabilia: laminated “Jessie heads” on sticks, glittered faces, custom hats and race bibs. Supporters have come from across continents; many carried posters and wore team colors while following events at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium. The presence of international fans has been particularly visible on race days and in local spots such as grocery stores, where encounters with enthusiastic supporters have become part of the Games’ social fabric.

Within the U. S. squad, Diggins has been described as a steadying presence. Teammates note her leadership both on course and in the village; she has embraced a mentor role for more than half of the American team who are Olympic first-timers. Her influence has extended beyond elite competition into grassroots inspiration, with young skiers traveling from New England and as far as New Zealand to watch her race.

Immediate impact

Diggins’ health and public account of personal struggles have shaped how fans and teammates relate to her. She has been open about overcoming an eating disorder, treatment and a relapse years ago, and has credited support from family and others with enabling her continued career. That recovery is a clear cause that has allowed her to reach this fourth Olympics; the effect is a platform that draws broad admiration and fuels the emotional investment of supporters.

On the competition side, the fall on Feb. 7 produced bruised ribs that contributed to pain during subsequent events and helps explain why a skier of her pedigree has one medal through five Olympic starts in this edition. Yet she remained upbeat after the 10K freestyle, calling herself "the happiest bronze medalist in the world, " and continued to act as a rallying figure for her teammates, celebrating teammates such as Julia Kern and earning praise from fellow athletes including Ben Ogden for the scope of her impact.

Forward outlook

Diggins’ final Olympic race is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22: the women’s 50-kilometer mass start classic. That event will close her Olympic program and precedes the end of the competitive season after which she has said she will retire. She remains positioned at the top of the FIS World Cup standings and enters the final weeks of the season with two consecutive world titles already to her name.

What makes this notable is the convergence of high-level performance, a public personal journey, and demonstrable international fandom in a single athlete’s farewell. The coming days will determine how she finishes her Olympic career, and they will also measure the immediate legacy she leaves for teammates and the global community of fans who traveled to Italy to see her one last time.