March 17, 2016 (Canmore, AB) – At the final Stage 8 of Ski Tour of Canada, a Classic Pursuit 10km race held at the Canmore Nordic Centre, American Jessie Diggins wowed herself and spectators with the third fastest time of the day. This was the first podium in the Classic technique for the 24-year-old from Afton, Minnesota. Diggins ended the Tour as the top-ranked North American woman both at Ski Tour of Canada, finishing 5th overall, along with 8th overall in the World Cup standings. She was third on the podium at the opening Sprint FR stage in Gatineau, Que. for a historic double as her teammate Simi Hamilton was also third in the men’s race, marking the first time that a U.S. man and women podiumed in a FIS Cross Country World Cup on the same day – read our coverage here.

Jessie Diggins © Angus Cockney

Following a short break after the Tour, Diggins is slated to race at the 2016 USSA SuperTour Finals and L.L. Bean U.S. Long Distance National Championships at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont from March 21-26. SkiTrax caught up the still-ecstatic Diggins shortly after the final stage at the Tour.

Diggins © Angus Cockney

I heard you saying afterwards that you were super happy with your race…
JD: I am! I was really thrilled. I knew it was going to be really, really tough, but I was ready to fight for one last race. The funny part is that I woke up this morning with a cold. I got it up in here [gestures to her nose]. It was kind of one of those things where it’s like, well, I’m going to go out there, I’m going to do the best that I can. And as long it was just up here, not in my chest, it’s not going to affect my race. And if anything it let me think, all right, I have nothing to lose.

I was definitely feeling a bit of pressure going into a race. I felt that if I could hold onto 5th, that would be really, really huge. It would be a great goal for me. But also I was trying to have fun and enjoy the crowds. This even is a really special thing, to be racing in North America.

You had a lot of fans out there today!
JD: It was so cool. What an energy boost to hear people screaming and cheering for you, who know who you are, and to have your family out on the course. A bunch of my family was on the east coast watching, and another group of family members came out here – it was really cool. We don’t get this kind of support that often. It’s really special when we do. It’s really important to enjoy that atmosphere.

Diggins leads Parmakoski © Angus Cockney

How do you deal with setbacks?
JD: Definitely everyone has setbacks. The year of the Olympics in Sochi, that fall I pulled a muscle in my foot and I was on crutches. You just have to put your mind in a really positive place and focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do. There are things you can’t control, like when I woke up with a cold this morning! I was like, well, that happened. I can’t control it now, it’s out of my hands. All I can do is focus on skiing with the best technique possible, skiing with the best strategy possible, and focusing on the things that I have control over. That focus really helps me.

Jessica Diggins at the finish of Ski Tour Canada © Pam Doyle ww.2

What was your strategy today?
JD: Well, I knew Krista [Parkmakoski] was going to be coming out the gates hard and that she would catch me. So I went out really relaxed, not panicking not skiing frantically, because on a course like this, at altitude, if you blow up, then it’s over. And you can lose a lot of time. So I was just trying to ski really smooth.

Then I working with Krista – I would lead then she would lead and I was pushing her poles on the downhills, so we were working together to make up time, which was really cool. And [this whole I time I was] thinking about technique things, like really trying to shoot my foot forward and focusing on that instead of focusing on “oh, I’m feeling tired”, or, “oh this really hurts” – focusing on the things that I could do.

Awesome! Thank you very much, and congratulations again on your race and your season!
JD: Thank you!