After a historic cross-country skiing performance at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Team USA is looking to recapture the magic that saw them bring home USA’s first-ever gold medal in the sport.
Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan will compete in the women’s 15K skiathlon on Saturday, where they’ll face off against strong competition from powerhouse countries like Norway, Sweden and Russia. The race will be the first medal event of the games.
Along with Diggins, other athletes to watch are Norway's Therese Johaug and Sweden's Frida Karlsson. Johaug is a 13-time world champion and took gold at the 2021 World Ski Championships, with Karlsson closely behind in second place.
After winning a gold medal in 2018 with her former partner Kikkan Randall, Diggins will know that she and her teammates are capable of not only competing with the best but beating them.
The 15K skiathlon combines classical skiing with freestyle skiing as athletes switch after the 7.5K mark. Freestyle skiing is faster than classical skiing because of the technique and skis used.
Diggins placed fifth in the event four years ago in Pyeongchang.
Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
Watch all the action from the Beijing Olympics live on NBC
Team USA competes at 2:45 a.m. ET on NBCOlympics.com
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