The FIS Cross Country World Cup made its way to northern Sweden for the first time in over a decade and Jessie Diggins of the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team took home her 15th career World Cup victory and her second podium of the season. 

It was a strong day for the U.S. women's team, with five in the top 30. Diggins finished first, Rosie Brennan tied for sixth, Sophia Laukli 13th, Julia Kern 18th and Novie McCabe 29th. Alayna Sonnesyn crossed the finish line in 40th. 

The last time the World Cup was held in Gällivare was in 2012 when Diggins was only 21 years old and one of the youngest athletes on the team. On the same course, history was made, when Diggins anchored the historic women’s relay that included her then-teammates, Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks and Liz Stephen. It was the first time in history that the U.S. landed on team podium. Over a decade later, Diggins now 32, is back on top of the Gällivare podium, leading a strong team of young Americans in the process. 

"It was so cool to see all my teammates having great races, too," said Diggins. "We once again had amazing skis thanks to our techs! They put their heart and soul into our skis and my teammates put their heart and soul into their race, and that is what matters."

The 10k course is no easy feat, with two challenging laps, 52 athletes out on course, over 1,140ft of climbing and extremely technical downhills. Throughout the time checks, Diggins never lost the lead. At 8.9k, Diggins had over 20 seconds on Sweden's Ebba Andersson, who ultimately finished the race in second.

Brennan was consistently in the top five throughout each time check and crossed the line tied for sixth with Lotta Udnes Weng of Norway. 

"It was a pretty good day," said Brennan. "I'm generally in a good place right now and am enjoying each day. I'm also really thankful that I get the opportunity to race every weekend!" 

For Laukli, another top 15 is a testament to a strong summer of training and trail running. Over the summer, Laukli won the Golden Trail Series overall, cementing herself as one of the strongest trail runners in the world. Pair a distance race with lots of climbing - Laukli will use that to her advantage. Today she ended the 10k in 13th.

For the men, Gus Schumacher led the team for the second weekend in a row and crossed the finish line in 16th, adding another top-30 result to his roster. Ben Ogden was close behind in 25th, Scott Patterson 35th, Zanden McMullen 36th, John Steel Hagenbuch 45th, Luke Jager 54th and Zak Ketterson 58th. 

At the end of the day, Diggins now has 15 individual World Cup victories to her name and 49 overall World Cup podiums. With a strong start to the 2023-24 season, Diggins is focused on taking it race by race. 

"I wasn't focused on results or time or beating anyone, I was just trying to ski this course as best as I could," said Diggins. 

Up next, the team will compete in the 4x7.5k team relay tomorrow, Dec. 3. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women 10k
Men 10k

Another day, another podium for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. Teammates Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan put all the pieces together in a gutsy mass start 20k to leave Ruka with a double USA podium, with Diggins in second and Brennan in third. 

On the last day of racing in Finland, the U.S. team was coming off top results from Brennan's second-place result the day prior. Temperatures were frigid - at times, it was less than 1 degree Fahrenheit - yet the field of 49 racers lined the start lanes for the first mass start of the season, ready to ski eight laps around the grueling 2.5k course. 

Through the first couple laps, the pack stuck together with very little movement, but as time went on the lead pack gained momentum with powerhouse nations Sweden and Norway flooding the top 10. But then came Brennan, Diggins and Laukli. 

On the fourth lap, packs were forming and the lead pack featured three Americans pushing the pace. With just 2.5k to go, things became interesting. At the top of the "stair-stepper climb," Diggins lost a pole and immediately began searching for another. While doing so, she was hit in the face by the spare, resulting in not only a bloody lip and cheek, but a lost glove. With 1.5k to go, Diggins dug deep going into the long downhill, with only one glove, a spare pole and 1.5k of course left. 

"I had to dig really, really deep for that one," said Diggins. "I lost a pole and my glove with it with about 1.5k left to go. I quickly got a replacement pole - that ended up smashing me in the face, which resulted in me having a pretty bloody mouth, but I finished the race!"

On the final hill, Diggins and Brennan were charging, alongside Moa Ilar of Sweden and Lotta Udnes Weng of Norway. In the final stretch, with the crowd going wild, Diggins and Brennan pull off a feat every nation strives for - landing two teammates on the podium. Diggins was second and Brennan was third. Laukli finished in 14th, breaking into the top 20 in expert fashion and rounding out three American women in the top 20. 

For the men, Gus Schumacher led the day for the American men with a 14th place result, capping off a successful weekend for Schumacher in Ruka. Scott Patterson was not far behind in 22nd and teammate Zanden McMullen scored his career-best result in 28th. 

At the end of the day in the finish pen, it took Diggins some time to warm up with the help of her teammates, athletes from other nations, USA support staff and coaches shedding their own layers to keep her warm. At the podium ceremony, Diggins was all smiles alongside Brennan, who had just secured her second podium of the weekend. 

"I'm super motivated by my results this weekend because its giving me confidence that my summer of training was really good," said Brennan. "Today was definitely motivating and i'm looking forward to what's next!"

Next on the World Cup program is the Gällivare World Cup in Sweden, with a 10k skate and 4x7.5k relay, Dec. 2-3, 2023.

RESULTS
Women
Men

On the second day of racing in Ruka, Finland, Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athlete Rosie Brennan took home her first individual classic podium in the 10k classic. Teammate Jessie Diggins crossed the line in 11th, a career best classic result in Ruka. 

The first World Cup races of the season can set the tone for what's to come and Brennan is already coming out on top. Despite not having many days on snow prior to the first races, she showed promise in the grueling 10k classic, with two solid laps around one of the hilliest and most technical courses on the World Cup calendar.

Ruka is known for its long hills and challenging terrain. Out of the starting gate, racers descend a steep hill and immediately begin climbing another - a section referred to as the "halfpipe" - with very little room for recovery. At the 5k mark, Brennan moved into a podium spot and comfortably stayed until the finish line. When she crossed the line in front of the large Ruka crowd, Brennan was only 5.5 seconds back from first. At the end of the day, Ebba Andersson of Sweden took home the victory with teammate Frida Karlsson in third - Brennan broke up the Swedish podium sweep in second. 

"I had really nice skis out there today, that's for sure," said Brennan in a post-race interview. "I've been really happy with the improvements I've made in classic skiing and it all worked out today - I'm very happy with my result!" 

Today's second place result gave Brennan her first World Cup individual classic podium and her eighth overall World Cup podium. Right behind Brennan was teammate Diggins, who crossed the line in 11th. This result is Diggins' best classic result in Ruka, and when asked about her race, she focused on her teammate. "I was so proud of Rosie and just seeing her ski with confidence and authority like that was so beautiful," said Diggins. "It made me really happy!” 

Novie McCabe followed Diggins with an impressive 30th place and Gus Schumacher led the American men with a 22nd place. Now, the team will race one more time before the end of the first World Cup race weekend with the 20k mass start on Sunday, Nov. 26. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live with commentary by Kikkan Randall and Chad Salmela. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

HOW TO WATCH
4:00 a.m. ET // Women's 20k skate // live & on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live
6:35 a.m. ET // Men's 20k skate // live & on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live

The FIS Cross Country World Cup kicked off in Ruka, Finland with the classic sprint and four Americans found the top 11. Jessie Diggins led the women in seventh place and Ben Ogden the men in 11th.

It was a cold, blustery day for the first World Cup of the 2023-24 season and the excitement of a new season was palpable. Thousands of fans crowded the course, including the familiar faces of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes who lined the finishing stretch to cheer. 

The start of the season was no easy feat, as this season marks the start of the complete fluro-ban by FIS, in which all nations must ensure that all skis are fluro-free at top-tier events, including the FIS World Cup. The new fluro-free rules brought a few more steps that athletes and staff must abide by before lining up on the start line, but at the end of the day, the race went on. 

For the women, Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern and Diggins advanced to the heats by landing in the top 30 of the field. Ogden and JC Schoonmaker advanced to the heats for the men. The qualifications results painted the picture of just how fast the field was skiing, with only a few seconds separating 30th and first place.

In the heats, Diggins and Kern won their quarterfinal heats easily and Brennan crossed the line in second. Ogden won his quarterfinal heat, putting him in a solid position for the semis; Schoonmaker was fifth and did not advance. In the semis, no American athletes advanced but today still marks the best results from the American team in history, with four in the final top 11: the women going seventh, eighth and ninth, and Ogden just outside the top 10 in 11th. 

"I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season," said Brennan in a post-race interview. "Honestly, this was quite a good day for the whole team and very cool to see." 

"It's really nice to be back. This is the best Ruka result for the team," said Diggins. "But just being here is a victory and actually racing was a cherry on top. I'm really lucky to have such an amazing team and proud to be here, it took a lot of work. It took me 12 years to make the semi-finals in Ruka, and that's why we don't give up, we just keep trying!" 

Now, the team will make a quick turnaround to the next race - the 10k classic tomorrow, Nov. 24. 

RESULTS
Women's sprint
Men's sprint

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, Nov. 24
- 6:15 a.m. ET / Men's 10k classic / live and on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live
- 4:00 a.m. ET / Women's 10k classic / live and on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live 

The 2023-24 Cross Country World Cup season is officially upon us, with the first event slated for Nov. 24, in Ruka, Finland. This season includes the first FIS Cross Country World Cup in the United States in over 23 years - the 2024 Loppet Cup presented by Stifel, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Feb. 17-19. 

Use the table below to stay updated on events and how to watch information, for both domestic and international races.

• All international races will be LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live and on-demand on Outside+ and skiandsnowboard.live and Outside Watch the Monday following the race. 
• All domestic races will be LIVE on Outside Watch (for free) and on-demand (behind a pay wall). NBC and CNBC schedule is TBD.

Learn more on How to Watch HERE. 

Full Cross Country World Cup schedule below