Diggins Second in Trondheim 20k Skiathlon, Brennan Eighth
In today's 20k skiathlon, Jessie Diggins was back on the podium in second, clinching her fourth podium of the 2023-24 season and 51st podium of her career. Rosie Brennan finished the day in eighth, tallying another top 10 to her impressive season.
As a test event for the 2025 FIS Cross Country Ski World Championships, the skiathlon gives spectators and fans the opportunity to see athletes ski both skate and classic in the same race. For the 20k skiathlon format, athletes kicked off the start line in classic skis, with 10k ahead of them. After more than 25 minutes of hard-fought classic skiing, racers switched to skate skis to finish out the remaining 10k.
It was a warm day in Trondheim, with light rain and the warmest temperatures the athletes have raced in this season. Coming off a fourth place result the day prior in the skate sprint, Diggins started off fast, alongside her teammates Brennan, Novie McCabe and Alayna Sonnesyn. Through the first 10k, Brennan was in the lead pack, skiing comfortably behind the ultimate winner of the day, Ebba Andersson of Sweden. At every time check, Brennan maintained her second position, but on the skate leg, Diggins found her found her way to the front, leading the chase group.
Through the checkpoints, Diggins went from seventh place up to second, making moves to position herself for the finishing stretch, in which she turned on the gas to cross the line in second, 15 seconds behind Andersson. Across the line, Brennan was 52 seconds behind the winner in eighth and McCabe finished within the top 30 in 23.
For the men, Ben Ogden led the U.S. men, finishing in the top 20 in 17th.
Tomorrow, the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will wrap up the first period of racing with a 10k classic before a well-deserved holiday break.
