March 07, 2018  (Drammen, Norway) – The USA’s Jessica Diggins claimed her first classic sprint podium finishing 3rd in the women’s 1.2 km city sprint in Drammen. Norway’s Maikken Kaspersen Falla took the win over Sweden’s Stina Nilsson in second as the duo are duking it out for the overall Sprint Cup crystal globe – Falla leads by 48 points with just 50 points remaining this season.

“What a fun day. I’ve always had classic sprinting on my bucket list and to finally make the podium here in Drammen is so exciting! The atmosphere was great out there with so many little kids and fans out watching, and the team did a great job with the skis and keeping the hectic day flowing smoothly. It’s always a challenge here because you have 20 minutes to test your skis with a crowded single lane course,” said Diggins who moved up to fifth in the sprint standings.

Fellow American Sadie Bjornsen was 21st followed by Sophie Caldwell (USA) in 27th, Ida Sargent (USA) in 47th, Rosie Brennan (USA) in 48, and Kikkan Randall (USA) in 50th. The top Canuck was Emily Nishikawa in 52nd with her teammate Dahria Beatty in 55th.

Randall was hoping for more. “Today’s race was not exactly what I was hoping for in a post-Olympic return. But I’ve always been hit or miss with Drammen so it’s kind of just par for the course. My body felt pretty good despite the travel and media schedule last week.  I’ve just been struggling with my classic technique this year and that was the biggest hold up. Looking forward to the 30km skate on Sunday though,” Randall told Trax.

Diggins won her first heat to advance to semifinals. In a grueling semifinal heat, she finished strong on the uphill to advance as a lucky loser to the finals. In the championship round, Diggins found herself in a group that was gapped by the three leaders. She persevered, closing the gap on Nilsson in the final 200 meters then won a sprint to the finish for third with Russian Natalia Nepryaeva to take third.

“In the final I was a little more conservative for the first half when I found myself at the back after having to move a few lanes over,” added Diggins. “So when it came down to the long finishing stretch I put my head down and just focused on finding the kick and staying stable for that sharp kick up at the finish line.”

Diggins and Randall returned to the World Cup after a whirlwind of celebrity interviews to showcase their Olympic gold medals from their Team Sprint victory at PyeongChang 2018.

“It’s been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks, definitely more than we could have ever anticipated,” shared Randall. “But it’s been a lot of fun and it’s great to see so many people, Nordic fans and the general public alike, just so fired up about a cross-country ski race!  It’s been great to be able to finally validate all we’ve been working for and now is a great opportunity to grow the sport.”

Qualifications here.
Final Results here.