February 17, 2018 (PyeongChang, South Korea) – Team USA finished 5th in the Women’s 4x5k Relay for their best Olympic result but the day belonged to Norway as Marit Boergen, 37, anchored the team to the top step of the podium for her record 7th gold at the Games.

Sweden took home the silver, hitting the line exactly two seconds behind Norway, while the Olympic Athletes from Russia earned the bronze medal on Saturday evening at the Alpensia Cross Country Skiing Centre. Team Canada ended up 13th.

“Everyone skied brave races out there today. While we didn’t get a medal which we know is so possible, we are satisfied to have achieved our best ever Olympic relay finish. The competition was tough out there. We’ve worked so hard and brought the level of this team up to an amazing level,” said Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska), who along with her teammates Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.), Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash) and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) finished 1:20.5 off Norway’s gold medal time.

Caldwell led off for the Americans but the pace was brutal as Russia, Slovenia and Norway quickly gapped the field with Sweden and Finland chasing hard. She tagged Sadie Bjornsen in 11th with Canada just behind led by Daria Beatty who was met by Emily Nishikawa for the second leg.

Bjornsen went to work moving up three spots as Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla caught the leaders and took over second behind Yulia Belorukova (OAR) while Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen fell off the pace. Bjornsen tagged Randall in 8th while Canada’s Nishikawa handed over to Cendrine Browne still in 13th behind France.

Randall picked up the pace and moved Team USA into sixth with strong skiing but the yardstick to the leaders was huge as the race up front was also heating up as Norway’s Ragnhild Haga caught Sweden’s Ebba Andersson and OAR skier Anastasia Sedova tagging off to Boergen a close 3rd for the final leg.

“Sophie had the toughest job of leading us off and she battled hard for us. Sadie was able to pick up a few places and tag off to me within a few seconds of the Germans and Slovenians. I was happy with my third leg.  It was great to finally get to skate on the relay after having done classic so many times. It was fun to go on the hunt over my first lap and reel them in. Once I caught Slovenia I was able to get a good ride around the 2nd lap and save some energy for a big move in the end.  I wish a couple more teams had been within reach because I felt strong,” commented Randall.

“I love this team and it was bittersweet today knowing it’s my last relay with these girls. I’m excited for the next girls coming up behind us and am confident this momentum will just keep carrying the US forward,” added Randall. “The support from everyone, both here in Korea and from back home in North America, has been incredible and we feel so honored to have been able to represent the USA for so long.”

Diggins put her head down and moved the USA into 5th as Canada’s Anne-Marie Comeau took over for Browne on the final leg to finish 13th for the red maple leaf.

“Anytime you get to put on the relay socks it’s an honor and a privilege and you know your racing not just for yourself, your racing for your teammates and Team USA,” said Diggins. “It’s this really exciting rush of adrenalin and you just go out there and you leave everything you’ve got on the course. There is more to it than just medals.”

Boergen and Stina Nilsson (Swe) raced together for gold as Anna Nechaevskaya (OAR) held onto third while Finland’s Krista Parmakoski tried to catch her in vain. Nilsson was no match for the veteran Boergen who put the hammer down on the finishing straight for the gold.

“The other girls gave me a good position, but it was a new position for me. I thought it was going to be hard when I had Stina (Nilsson) on my skis so I’m very happy and can’t believe that I did it,” said Bjoergen adding about her record. “When I’ve finished skiing I’ll look behind me and see what I will have done.”

Team USA will have one final shot at an Olympic medal in the Team Sprint Wednesday.

“There is nothing I enjoy more than trying to win, and we tried that today,” said women’s head coach Matt Whitcomb. “We worked really well as a team of athletes and staff and the result was not what we wanted.”

Results here.