Jessie Diggins Falls Short Of Cross-Country Medal Dreams

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy – Park City, Utah, resident Jessie Diggins had her cross-country medal hopes dashed after failing to qualify for the semifinal round of the women’s cross-country sprint.

Diggins finished 1.11 seconds off the lead in quarterfinal four, ending her chance at advancing.

The top two racers in each quarterfinal heat advance.

RELATED: Two Team USA Locals Fall Just Short Of Speed Skating 1000m Podium

Jessie Diggins 🇺🇸 éliminée en QF du Sprint Classique #MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/wODl0ejIms

— Wa!id (@MW_A) February 10, 2026

American Julia Kern is the only member of Team USA to reach the semifinals after finishing with one of the two fastest times outside of the automatic qualifiers.

Cross-Country Skiing Women’s Sprint qualifying round

Sweden dominated the qualifying round, taking the top three spots and four of the top ten finishers.

Linn Svahn led the field, finishing with a time of 3:36:21, more than a second better than her compatriot, Jonna Sundling, in second.

RELATED: Utah Resident Breezy Johnson Claims Gold At Milano Cortina Olympics

Jessie Diggins was the first American finisher, crossing the finish line 20th at 3:46:67.

Who is Jesse Diggins?

Diggins entered the Milan Cortina Winter Games as a three-time World Champion and three-time Olympic medalist (bronze, silver, gold).

The 34-year-old is ranked No. 1 in the world for the second consecutive year.

Follow the Milan Cortina Winter Games on KSL

Find KSL Sports coverage of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics here.

Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering the Utah State Aggies, Locals in MLB, and Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees, Beehive baseball, and Aggie athletics coverage here.

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