Hardy Diggins leads next generation into cross-country's ‘wall of sound'

The Guardian

27-02-2025

Competing in a Nordic world ski championships is always special, but doing so in the heartland of cross-country skiing elevates the experience to a whole different level. This year's edition kicks off in earnest on Thursday with the first medal events in Trondheim, the picturesque university town seated on the lip of a fjord in central Norway. More than 190,000 tickets have already been sold and the sport's most passionate fans will spend the next week and a half packed into vertigo-triggering grandstands around the finishing area. The intensity and tradition of ski racing in Norway create an intoxicating backdrop for any athlete, a challenge an upstart American contingent is keen to embrace.
Cross-country skiing schedule
All times EST. All events live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live.
Thu 27 Feb
• Men's Skate Sprint, 6.30am
• Women's Skate Sprint, 6.30am
Sun 1 Mar
• Men's 20k Skiathlon, 8am
Mon 2 Mar
• Women's 20k Skiathlon, 8am
Wed 4 Mar
• Men's 10k Classic, 7am
• Women's 10k Classic, 9.30am
Thu 5 Mar
• Men's Classic Team Sprint, 8.30am
• Women's Classic Team Sprint, 8.30am
Fri 6 Mar
• Women's 4x7.5k Relay, 6.30am
Sat 7 Mar
• Men's 4x7.5k Relay, 8am
Sun 8 Mar
• Men's 50k Skate, 5.30am
Mon 9 Mar
• Women's 50k Skate, 6.30am
Jessie Diggins knows what's coming and what's required to meet the moment better than anyone. Reflecting on her first world championships at Oslo's storied Holmenkollen when Norway last hosted, she recalled Tuesday in a conference call with reporters, 'It's quite painful for me to watch my technique [in 2011], but I skied with a lot of guts and that has not changed.' She was just 19 then, still seven years away from her historic Olympic gold at Pyeongchang. Now 33, Diggins has built a legacy unlike any other American in the sport's history, but as she heads into this year's worlds, her famous tolerance for discomfort will be put to the test like rarely before.
Six weeks ago, an ache in her foot turned into searing pain. The diagnosis was plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tissue at the bottom of the foot. 'It was hard for me to walk,' she admitted. 'I felt like I was tearing my foot in half. … [But] I'm really lucky that my healing process has been freakishly fast.' With that injury in mind, she is taking a measured approach to the 10-day event, saying her race schedule will 'evolve' as things unfold. 'We'll check in after the skiathlon,' she said, adding that she will not race every event, a necessary precaution as she manages her recovery.
Despite the injury, Diggins has been in stellar form. This season, the Minnesota native has already won six World Cup races, half of them since the onset of her foot pain, along with a bronze medal and a third-place finish in the marquee Tour de Ski. That's put her on course for a third overall crystal globe, cross-country skiing's biggest prize, something no woman from outside Europe had won even once until Diggins four years ago. But results, she insists, aren't everything. 'My big goal is to realize that I'm not my results and to separate my self-worth from the number next to my name on a piece of paper,' she said. 'I'm not really thinking about the outcome; it's more about who I want to be within the team. … And just crossing the finish line satisfied with what I've put out there.'
While Diggins remains the centerpiece of Team USA, the emergence of Gus Schumacher and Ben Ogden is shaping the future of the American cross-country program. The 24-year-olds have taken enormous strides forward over the past two seasons and are looking to make their mark in Trondheim. Schumacher, a former junior world champion from Alaska who last year became the first American male to win a distance event since 1983, sees this event as an opportunity to showcase his team's potential. 'We're capable of winning,' he said. 'We may not be the favorites, but that doesn't mean we should count ourselves out.' His mindset, he says, has shifted from simply being in the pack to actively racing for the podium.
Ogden, a three-time NCAA champion at the University of Vermont known for his explosive racing style and easygoing nature, also enters worlds with mounting confidence after scoring his first career World Cup distance podium last month. Though he's battled illness in the weeks leading up to the event, he is focused on making an impact in select races. 'I had the flu recently, which wasn't ideal, but it beats getting sick now,' he said with a laugh. 'This season, my focus has been on targeting one or two races where I can really make an impact rather than spreading myself too thin.'
For both Schumacher and Ogden, the camaraderie of the US men's team has been instrumental in their development. 'We all grew up racing each other,' Ogden said. 'There was nothing more motivating than beating Gus at junior nationals. Now it's about all of us pushing each other to get better. We want to take this team to the next level.'
Strategic race selection will be key for all three American contenders, with multiple events spanning nearly two weeks. 'There's no bonus for doing medium-well in every race,' Ogden said. 'You have to pick your spots, recover well, and go all in when it matters.' Schumacher agreed, emphasizing the need to balance endurance and peak performance. 'There are three races in a row: the 10k, the team sprint, and the relay,' he said. 'We have to be smart about which ones we go all in for.'
For Diggins, the US team's chief vibes officer whose trademark glitter-flecked cheeks and almost nuclear positivity have become her signatures, it's a lesson she has learned firsthand. Looking back on her 2023 world championships in Slovenia, where she captured a history-making 10km freestyle gold, she admitted she had blown past her limits. 'I was flying close to the sun – I was either going to win or burn out,' she said. 'This time, I'm trying to stay on the safer side of that line while still giving it everything I've got.'
The excitement around the American camp has been palpable in the final run-up. The success of Diggins, Schumacher and Ogden has helped elevate US cross-country skiing to new heights, proving that Americans can compete with the traditionally dominant European countries. It's a movement Diggins, the author of so many US firsts, is especially proud to bear witness to. 'My job is to make sure these guys can take it further than I ever have,' she said. 'I want them to eclipse anything I've done.'
The added significance of bringing their fight to cross-country's spiritual home is not lost on the US athletes, who know they are racing before some of the most knowledgeable and fervent spectators in the world. The party is right around the corner and the veteran Diggins is certain they will be ready for the cauldron.
'When you drop into the stadium, you'll be greeted by a wall of sound from 20,000 fans,' Diggins said. 'That's something you don't forget, and I'm going to soak it all in.'