Diggins Sixth In 15k Skiathlon At Olympic Winter Games
Jessie Diggins skied the fastest freestyle leg of Saturday’s 15k skiathlon to kick off the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and lead Team USA, finishing sixth. Rosie Brennan was 14th, followed by Hailey Swirbul in 40th, and Julia Kern in 53rd.
“I’m really happy,” Diggins said. “I wish I would have had a better classic half, but the skate half was some of the best racing of my life.”
Norway’s Therese Johaug skied away from the field to take the gold, while Natalia Nepryaaeva of Russia out-sprinted Austria’s Teresa Stadlober for the bronze.
With a strong northwest wind blowing, athletes battled a below zero wind chill, which made the classic portion of the race especially challenging. Brennan set the early pace as the lead group slowly dwindled to 15 athletes at the 2.5k mark. At the exchange, Brennan had fallen to 14th, as Diggins sat in 10th.
Once Diggins traded classic skis for skate skis, she was off to the races, pulling back four places and finishing just 20 seconds off the podium.
“It feels so good to have one race under my belt,” Diggins said. “I’m really, really, pumped to see what I can do the rest of the week.”
For Brennan, it was a tough battle. Still, her second career Olympic race was indeed a triumph after her 2018 Olympic Skiathlon, where she battled just to finish and was later diagnosed with mononucleosis.
“That was my first and last Olympic race,” she said. “So I had a demon in the back of my mind that I needed to get rid of. To be in a better place today - even if it wasn’t my best - was a step in the right direction, and that is something that I am proud of.”
The Olympic Winter Games continue Sunday with the men’s 30k Skiathlon. Racing for Team USA is Gus Schumacher, who will make his Olympic debut, and Scott Patterson, who finished 18th in the skiathlon at the 2018 Olympics. The race starts at 3 p.m. CST (2 a.m. EST) and streams live on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock. USA Network will provide a same-day broadcast at 3 p.m. EST.
The women return to racing in Tuesday’s freestyle sprint on Feb. 8.
RESULTS
Women’s 15k Skiathlon
HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST
Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.
Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022
3:45 p.m. Cross Country Skiing – Women’s 15k Skiathlon, Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Same-day delay, USA Network
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022
2:00 a.m. Cross Country Skiing – Men’s 30k Skiathlon, Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, USA Network, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
6:30 a.m. 2022 Winter Olympics Medal Ceremonies Day 2, NBCOlympics.com, Streaming Peacock
3:00 p.m. Cross Country – Men’s 30k Skiathlon, Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Same-day delay, USA Network
7:00 p.m. Cross Country – Men’s 30k Skiathlon (re-air), Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Same-day delay, USA Network
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022
3:00 a.m. Cross Country – Men and Women’s Freestyle Sprint, Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, USA Network
5:30 a.m. Cross Country – Men and Women’s Individual Freestyle Sprint, Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, USA Network
6:00 a.m. 2022 Winter Olympics Medal Ceremonies, Day 4 – Streaming Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
2:00 p.m. Daytime Coverage – Biathlon 20km Individual, Cross Country Men’s and Women’s Individual Sprint Finals, NBC Broadcast
4:00 p.m. Cross Country – Men and Women’s Freestyle Sprint - qualifying, Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Same-day delay, Broadcast, USA Network
6:30 p.m. Cross Country – Men and Women’s Freestyle Sprint - Finals, Kuyangshu Nordic Center, Zhangjiakou, CHN, Same-day delay, Broadcast, USA Network
Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:
Broadcast and streaming schedules are updated on a daily basis throughout the season.
