Diggins put's here name in the FIS history books

28. 02. 2023

Diggins put's here name in the FIS history books

At the 43rd FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, Jessie Diggins became the first American woman to win the 10-kilometer cross-country skiing event. The Swedes were left without gold for the first time in the valley under Ponca. German ski jumper Katharina Althaus is one step closer to a perfect performance at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships after completing qualifications on the large hill.

Jessie Diggins made history in cross-country skiing at the 43rd FIS Nordic World Ski Championships by becoming the first American woman to win the 10-kilometer event. The 31-year-old competitor from St. Paul ended the Norwegian domination in the last three championships and became only the second non-Swedish skier to win a gold medal in cross-country skiing in Planica. Frida Karlsson took the second place and won her second silver medal in the valley under Ponca. The third place went to another Swedish skier, Ebba Andersson, who is also the champion in the 15km skiathlon.

© BoBo/Luka Kotnik

For Diggins, this is her second medal at world championships, as she became the silver medalist in the 10km event in Falun in 2015. "Today was a very exciting and emotional day. I cried a lot, but they were tears of happiness, and I'm glad to be part of this team. The service team and coaches did an excellent job, as they tested the skis by skiing at least five times more than I did," said the American after her unforgettable victory.

Swedish dominance in cross-country skiing in Planica was confirmed by Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson, who won a total of eight medals for Sweden. Frida Karlsson said in a press conference about her feelings after winning the second place: "I think I did great today. I had a good pace and a lot of power. Only one competitor was faster today. This is my third silver medal, and people have already started calling me Silver Frida." Ebba Andersson also did not complain about her third place: "I think a bronze medal is also a shiny medal. I fought hard for this medal. I'm very happy with what I showed today."

© BoBo/Luka Kotnik

Eva Urevc was the best Slovenian representative, finishing in 20th place. She said, "The goal was to be among the top 15, and currently, I'm in 16th place. I hope it stays that way, and I can say that I was at least close to my goal. I had a small crisis in the middle, so I am happy with the result and proud that I did not lose my position."

Althaus once again in a class of her own

German ski jumper Katharina Althaus is one step closer to a perfect sweep of victories at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships after the qualifications on the large hill. After three events, the 26-year-old athlete from Oberstdorf has already won three gold medals, and is on her way to a clean sweep of victories. Althaus won the qualifications with a jump of 129 meters, the longest of the day. "The jumps are not yet perfect, but I'm close. I'm happy to be in such good form," the German said optimistically after her qualifying jump.

© BoBo/Žiga Živulovič ml.

In second place behind the serial winner in Planica was Alexandria Loutitt. The Canadian athlete is in good form at this championship, but has yet to win an individual medal. Third place went to Maren Lundby, who is defending her world champion title from two years ago. The Norwegian athlete finished 7.3 points behind the leading German.

Four Slovenian women will compete in the final individual ski jumping event, which begins with the first round on Wednesday at 5:30 pm.
Ema Klinec finished in 5th place in the qualifications with a jump of 122 meters on the ski jumping hill, which is well known to the local competitors and has several jumps on it. She said, "I know this ski jumping hill very well. In the past, I have already shown good jumps in training and at national championships. Today's jumps were also better, which is the reason for more meters."

NIka Križnar © BoBo/Žiga Živulovič ml.

Nika Križnar finished 13th, Maja Vtič was 31st, and Nika Prevc was 36th.

 

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