Jessie Diggins is grateful for the journey she’s been on since she was a teenager. She wouldn’t trade her career in cross country skiing for the world. It has taken her to places she never could have dreamed of visiting as a kid growing up in Afton, Minn.
After competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, however, Diggins will start the process of sailing off into the sunset. That much is certain following her announcement a few months ago that she planned to retire as soon as the current World Cup campaign comes to a close.
Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross country skiing women’s 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. The Afton native placed third to win her fourth Olympic medal. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Asked what she plans to do in the next chapter of her life, the 34-year-old cracked a joke that showed her age, saying, “Well besides knitting and stuff?” She added that she also plans to a lot of gardening in her free time.
If some people think that sounds boring, Diggins doesn’t take offense. She’a been traveling all over the world since making cross country skiing her career. She’s ready to settle down after winning four Olympic medals in total, including a bronze in Thursday’s 10-kilometer interval start freestyle, and three FIS World Cup championships.
“It makes it quite hard to have anything close to a normal life,” Diggins said. “The time has come for me to get really excited about having a normal life.”
That includes as being able to wash her clothes whenever she wants, being able to sleep in her own bed regularly, and to come down with a cold without worrying about how it might affect her livelihood.
Most of all, Diggins is looking forward to spending more quality time with her husband Wade Poplawski. They live together on the outskirts of Boston and plan to call New England home for the foreseeable future.
“He’s been the most supportive person in the world,’ Diggins said. “Now, it’s going got be our time together with me not being on the road.”
That doesn’t mean Diggins will be out of the public eye. She plans to do keynote speaking as a way to continue to make an impact. She’s been a vocal advocate for mental health throughout her career and that isn’t going to change.
“I’m not trying to inspire people by collapsing at the finish line any longer,” Diggins said. “I’m hoping I can inspire people with my words.”
That should be pretty easy considering her experience.
A superpower for Diggins throughout her career has been her willingness to be vulnerable. She’s been open about her struggles with an eating disorder, for example, with hopes of helping people that might be struggling with something similar.
“I’m in this position where I can be there for somebody else,” Diggins said. ” I can give them this gift of, ‘You are not alone.’ ”
That means more to Diggins than winning a gold medal in the team sprint at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, which provided her the platform to speak up in the first place.
As for the normalcy she’s been seeking for so long, Diggins more or less acknowledged that she will never fully escape the gravitational pull that being an elite athlete has on her life. A bucket list item for her in retirement is completing a 100-mile race.
“I want it to be really scenic and beautiful,” Diggins said. “I really like tough trail. I do not want a dirt highway. I want it to be scrambly.”
She laughed.
“It’s kind of ironic to be like, ‘Yeah I’m going to be done with cross country skiing so I can go run 100 miles on trails,’ ” Diggins said. “It really lights up my soul, and I’m really excited to still give myself these challenges.”
All part of continuing to inspire people.
“I’m going to try to give back in all the ways that I can,” Diggins. “I still want to be the best role model that I can be.”
Related Articles
Buzz of the Olympics: How drone cams deliver high-pace visuals and add a new dynamic for TV viewers
US skater Maxim Naumov honors his late parents by completing an Olympic dream he shared with them
‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin falls twice in Olympic disaster, allowing Mikhail Shaidorov to claim gold
Team Peterson makes history with first women’s Olympic curling win over Canada
Bravo! Act I of the Winter Olympics’ visit to Italy has been filled with drama, catharsis and tears
Leave a Reply