World Cup in Minneapolis: Jessie Diggins finishes fourth, but still feels the love
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Updated Feb. 18, 8:09 a.m. | Posted Feb. 17, 4:30 p.m.
On Saturday, it was audibly clear whenever Olympian Jessie Diggins was competing in the COOP FIS Cross Country World Cup at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis.
About 20,000 people were there to cheer, ring cow bells, wave American flags and get rowdy for an outdoor winter sport on a course with fresh snow during a winter that’s been unseasonably mild.
“It’s been overwhelming, but in the best way,” Diggins said. “It felt like a million people were out there.”
Diggins, a native of Afton and an Olympic gold medalist in 2018, skied well through her initial sprint, the quarterfinals and the semifinals. But in the end, she finished fourth in the freestyle sprint. Still, at the crowd’s urging, she took a victory lap, pumping her fists in the air and taking it all in.
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“People just kept pouring in,” Diggins said. “It was overwhelming because people showed up for this. You know, we kind of said, ‘We’ve got this one opportunity. Hopefully we’ll have more we don’t know.’ And people were like, ‘Alright, we’re coming. We’re showing up. That was just amazing feeling the ski community rally.”
Among the fans was Brad Nidersson of Stillwater, who showed up early to find a spot along one of the climbs on the course.
“I love Nordic skiing,” he said. “It’s just an amazing opportunity to have the World Cup come here and to have such an amazing sport to bring people out and enjoy winter.”
He wore a jacket from the Stillwater Area High School Nordic Ski team. His daughter skied for the team in the last few years. It’s the same team where Diggins raced more than a decade ago.
“She definitely has had a huge influence on the team and is just such a positive role model and inspiration for all the kids, especially the girls on the team,” Nidersson said.
Linda Evert and her husband came from Circle Pines to watch. They’re both avid cross country skiers and were disappointed when the event was canceled four years ago.
Saturday, they got to the course early and were excited about taking it all in.
“The event, the excitement of the crowd, being able to see the races we’ve been watching on TV in person,” she said. “Just even seeing the course set up and the athletes warming up and just making it seem just more real.”
Evert, who is a coach with the Minnesota Youth Ski League, also said it was a day when all the young skiers could finally see, in person, the world’s best skiers up close and personal.
Correction (Feb. 18, 2024): An earlier version of this story misidentified Brad Nindersson. The story has been updated.