July 12, 2018 (Alaska) – Legendary American cross-country ski star, Kikkan Randall, 35, recently announced she’s undergoing treatments for breast cancer. The news follows the storybook ending to her stellar career that culminated with winning the USA’s first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing as she and Jessie Diggins won the Women’s Team Sprint at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

Randall shared the news on July 11 on social media and her website, saying, “The color pink has taken on a new chapter in my life as I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer,” adding that her “prognosis is good” and vowed to bring “tenacity, strength and energy toward this challenge.”

PyeongChang 2018 was Randall’s 5th Olympics and during her career she won three Sprint Cup globes, silver in the individual sprint at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Liberec becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at Worlds. She followed up with another first with Diggins winning Nordic Worlds gold in 2013 in the team sprint.

Read her blog here.