USA finally wins another gold medal in historic underdog fashion
Team USA shocked the world Wednesday in the women’s cross country Team Sprint competition, taking home the gold in an event in which it has never medaled before.
Going into the Pyeongchang Games, there was no expectation for the U.S. to compete for a medal in this event against countries like Sweden and Norway, which have dominated the sport.
The U.S. had very little presence in the sport over the years. There was so little depth at times over the years, it was difficult for the U.S. to field a team to compete in some world cup events.
American cross country skiers Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins win historic #gold. https://t.co/kobydUxOf2 #Olympics #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/ILF9GFqWBS
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 21, 2018
The one stalwart has been Kikkan Randall, who has competed in five Olympics dating back to 2002 in Salt Lake City.
“When I started, I don’t know if we were even fielding a relay in the Olympics,” Randall said via USA Today. “We were excited if we got a top 30.”
Golden Girls: Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins win first-ever gold medal in #Olympics history for @TeamUSA in cross-country skiing! #PyeongChang2018 #BestofUS #USA https://t.co/FtjEwed2DF pic.twitter.com/uFYApB21Nh
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 21, 2018
The 35-year-old Randall wasn’t even sure if she would compete in the 2018 Olympics due to the birth of her son. But she did and now she is an Olympic gold medalist.
Randall and her teammate, 26-year-old Jessica Diggins, won the Team Sprint, a roughly five-mile sprint relay for teams of two.
Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall win USA's 1st-ever Olympic gold in cross-country skiing https://t.co/D6Fu82DoqO pic.twitter.com/R1rwiSI5l4
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 21, 2018
In the final of four laps, Diggins broke away from skiers from Sweden and Norway in the final 100 yards to win the gold. Team USA had won by just 0.19 seconds. “I don’t know what I was thinking except, ‘go, go, go,’ because you have to dig really deep,” Diggins said.
Sweden took the silver, while Norway won the bronze.
“I was standing in the finish and we were screaming at the top of our lungs,” Randall said. “It was really hard to tell who was going to be ahead.”
“Oh my gosh, did we just win the Olympics?” Diggins said.
For Randall, it’s all about perseverence. Across five Olympics, she competed in 17 events — not just the Team Sprint but others — without a medal. This was likely her final performance in the Olympics, and it couldn’t have ended any better.
“They are so worth this gold medal,” said Charlotte Kalla, a member of the Swedish team.
“It’s been a really amazing journey for me through five Olympics, but it really got fun about six years ago when this women’s team formed and the level has been rising and rising and rising,” Randall said. “We talked about, if we won a medal at the Olympics it was truly going to be a team medal whether you were on the snow that day or not. It’s been in the works for a long time and it’s amazing to finally make it happen.”
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