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At the end of the World Cup’s two-week stint in Sweden, there was one performance that defined the early stages of the 2023-24 World Cup season: At Sunday’s 10 k individual start skate race, Jessie Diggins was seen sharing smiles before the race, setting top time splits throughout it, in first place as she crossed the line, and in jubilation as she stepped to the top step of the podium for the second time in as many weekends.
“[I] continued focusing on finding the flow in the course and the joy in skiing,” Diggins said post-race. “I even smiled a couple times throughout the race.”
Where Diggins has gone this season, Rosie Brennan has followed closely, imbuing Team USA’s early season success with stalwart consistency. Rosie Brennan skied to a fifth place finish today, continuing a start to the season where she has finished in the top ten of every race, no matter the discipline, distance, or technique. “[The] consistency has been good, it’s something I’ve struggled with,” Brennan said in post-race comments. She added that the difference for her this season has been that the consistent results have come bounded by the lows and highs of World Cup racing. “Today, I was battling the whole time and I didn’t feel like my best self,” she said, “but on the other hand, I’ve felt like I’m very consistent while struggle to break through and have truly amazing races in the past, and I’ve had those this year too.”
The two veterans were also joined by Sophia Laukli, who continued her quick progression up the World Cup standings by racing to her first top ten performance of the season, in eighth place. It marked Laukli’s first career top ten in a non-hill climb World Cup event (where Laukli has already podiumed). “Earlier this week, coaches watched Sophia do a big workout,” said U.S. Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “And there was a remark that she was skiing like a top ten skier. And it turns out, she was.”
All together, the nation with the most athletes in the top ten on Sunday in Oestersund—the Americans, with three.
The results have set a tone: joy, camaraderie, and celebration coursing not just through the American team, but throughout the entirety of the World Cup circuit. Under the lights of Oestersund this weekend, jackets emblazoned “USA” flooded the stadium after nearly every race. In those jackets are wax techs, coaches, and a group of athletes spanning multiple generations of U.S. skiing, all finding success on the World Cup together. There have been firsts for young skiers, consistency for veterans, and a whole lot of podiums.
Energizing it all has been Diggins, overall leader of the World Cup circuit. Diggins smiled and danced before she started the 10 k skate race on Sunday, then led at every time check on her way to what was her 50th career World Cup podium, and 16th win. In post-race comments, she was resolute on celebrating the success of those who stand behind her, saying “Our wax techs have been really incredible,” she said. “I had amazing skis.” She also added that there was a specific source of inspiration for her after watching yesterday’s historic podium finish for teammate JC Schoonmaker in the Men’s classic sprint: “This one was for the boys!”
Women’s 10 k Skate Individual Start
The women’s start list on Sunday featured a field that was more evenly spread with contenders than is usual during an individual start. Previous World Cup winner Linn Svahn (SWE) started in bib 2, while last week’s 10 k skate runner-up Ebba Andersson (SWE) started in bib 55, the third last starter on the day. Right in the middle of the start order was Brennan, bib 35, with Diggins starting two minutes behind wearing bib 39.
The start order made for a race that saw early starters set unusually high marks as they went through the first time checks. Standing out among this pack was bib 21, Laukli, who through the first 5.4 k had the top split in the field. Laukli would only be topped throughout by bib 22 behind her, Frenchwoman Flora Dolci, with the two skiers both setting times on the gradual but unrelenting Oestersund course that would put them in the top ten on the day.
Dolci’s eventual fourth place finish meant that when Rosie Brennan came through the first time check at 2.1 k, her first-place -2.2 second split defined the parameters for where the top of the field would be skiing the rest of the day. Brennan was supplanted by Diggins at the early split, who had an 11 second lead over the field. With Laukli still holding sixth place, the early splits provided an indication of the good day the Americans would have at the 10 k finish.
The only skiers who would consistently split Diggins and Brennan in the time checks throughout the day were Dolci; Norway’s Heidi Weng, who would take second; and Germany’s Victoria Carl, who would take third. Ebba Andersson (SWE) would also challenge early in the race before fading to ninth place as Sweden’s top finisher. Carl’s performance was the other especially notable performance on the day, as she earned her first World Cup podium after 150 World Cup starts.
Team USA: “A Great Weekend”
As Team USA heads into the end of Period I in Trondheim, Norway next weekend, skiers are processing what Matt Whitcomb said was, “a great weekend for the team when it comes to feeling that sense of connection between each other.”
“The consistent results will help with things like the Tour de Ski and the [World Cup] Overall,” said Brennan. “[Those are] are things I enjoy fighting for and am looking forward to.”
“I’m very surprised with how well this season has started,” said Diggins. “But I will happily accept happy surprises.”
Diggins noted in post-race comments that she attributes the results she’s had to a focus on process. “The results and podiums are the icing on the cake,” she said. “But what that cake is made of is a week-to-week, race-to-race focus.” Diggins also added that there is a renewed clarity behind the laughs and smiles on the World Cup this season. “I’m here because I love ski racing, so that’s what I’m going to focus on.”
Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan still stand 1st and 2nd, respectively, at the top of the World Cup Overall standings. As the Americans leave Sweden, it’s mainly the Swedish team on their tails, with Emma Ribom in third place one of six Swedes in the top ten of the World Cup Overall. The dynamic of the World Cup field remains steady.
On Sunday in Oestersund, though, steadiness wasn’t a thought as the whole of the American team—and the American ski community watching from half a world away—allowed revelry to take over. It’s a hard thing to stand atop a World Cup podium, and Jessie Diggins—even after sixteen victories—seems to understand that the best way acknowledge that fact was to let each hug she shared with her teammates and coaches be filled with joy, and joy alone.
Women’s 10 k Skate RESULTS
Ben Theyerl
Ben Theyerl was born into a family now three-generations into nordic ski racing in the US. He grew up skiing for Chippewa Valley Nordic in his native Eau Claire, Wisconsin, before spending four years racing for Colby College in Maine. He currently mixes writing and skiing while based out of Crested Butte, CO, where he coaches the best group of high schoolers one could hope to find.
