She Never Stopped Believing: Kern Claims World Cup Podium For First Time in Five Years

For the first time since 2019, Julia Kern is back on the individual World Cup podium. Under the lights at the Tallinn City Sprint in Estonia, Kern powered her way to a long-awaited top-three finish. Ben Ogden was seventh, topping off a strong day for the Americans. 

The 2024-25 season has been significant for Kern, highlighted by her silver medal in the team sprint at the World Championships. But an individual podium had remained elusive—until now. With just four races left in the season, she delivered a gutsy performance on the fast-paced urban course in Tallinn. 

“A podium possibility is something I have been chasing the past five years ever since my first podium,” she said. “I never stopped believing that I had it in me, but there were definitely times when it felt far out of reach, like in Period 1 this season. Things with sprinting were really not clicking early season, which wasn’t so surprising given my injury-ridden fall. But I knew my fitness was there with strong distance races, so I worked really hard with the coaches and strength coach in the lead-up to World Champs to get my sprinting gears back.”

This result has been a long time coming for Kern, who has been chasing a return to the podium for five years. The journey hasn’t been easy, with injuries and early-season struggles testing her resilience. Period one of the season was challenging, with her sprinting not quite clicking, but she never lost belief.

Kern credited the wax technicians for their tireless support and expertise, especially given the unique conditions of the race, which featured limited course access and neutral waxing rules.

“The staff did an amazing job in ski testing and strategy today,” she said. “They were cheering so loud around the course that I had no option but to boost into another gear. I feel so grateful for their unwavering belief over the years, and especially this season where I was reminded to be patient, and that likely my form would catch up and come around at the end of the season.”

Kern had a strong season beyond sprinting, earning a career-best sixth place in the 20k skate in Falun, Sweden and finishing fifth in the individual sprint at World Championships. She and Jessie Diggins also took silver in the team sprint, marking Kern’s second career World Championships medal after their bronze in 2023. 

Other notable results of the day go to Ogden, who was seventh. Gus Schumacher, Jack Young and Sammy Smith also punched their tickets to the Tallinn City Sprint rounds and ended the day with a 16th by Schumacher, 19th by Young and Smith in 27th place. The women's podium of the day was topped by Switzerland's Nadine Faehnrich and Sweden's Maja Dahlqvist in second. For the men, Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo is back on top in first, with his teammate Harald Oestberg Amundsen in second and France's Jules Chappaz in third. 

Now, the team has made a quick turnaround to Lahti, Finland, for the final World Cup weekend of the season. Jessie Diggins enters the week with the FIS Cross Country FIS Overall Crystal Globe for the third time in her career; Diggins is the only non-European to win the Overall Crystal Globe in cross country World Cup history. 

RESULTS 
Women
Men