Diggins initially misunderstands the question and responds with a babble of how great it was when the World Cup returned to her home state of Minnesota two years ago. When she realizes that what the reporter wants to know is her thoughts on the ongoing political unrest in the United States, the tone changes. With an increasingly glazed look behind her mask, she says the following:
"I was born and raised in Minnesota. That's the community that raised me. So it's been extremely difficult to focus on skiing now that I see what's being done to this great community," says Jessie Diggins, who is retiring from competitive skiing after the season.
She is one of the big medal candidates ahead of Saturday's skiathlon that opens the Olympics in Val di Fiemme. But the events of recent weeks in Minneapolis have affected the 34-year-old as she heads into her fourth Winter Olympics.
Two shot dead
President Donald Trump launched a massive crackdown on undocumented immigrants in Minnesota in December. The unrest has escalated recently, with two U.S. citizens shot dead by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal border agents.
That's not the U.S. that Jessie Diggins represents. And she wants to show that in Italy.
"I've talked to a lot of people who are out on the streets defending their neighbors. And they've said I'll give it my all, that they're happy to see me racing with glitter on my face (a classic Diggins trait)," she says.
So I've really embraced that. I'm committed to representing the version of America that respects others, that is loving and caring and open, and where people take care of each other. It's important to me that the world sees that those are the values that I'm trying to live up to.
“Big shoes to fill”
For over a decade, Diggins has been one of the few skiers to break through European, especially Nordic, dominance. She has also spoken out often and openly about weighty social issues and the downsides of elite sports, such as her own struggles with eating disorders.
It's undeniable that she is a major role model for the entire U.S. national team, and you can hear it in the way that both women's and men's skiers talk about her.
Jessie's impact has been enormous. And it extends far beyond the Olympics and the World Cup. We were club buddies in Vermont, and even though she's not from there, she's been an incredible inspiration to all the young people there, says Ben Ogden.
We're all trying to get to where we can use our voices to reach out in the same way she has. But those are very big shoes to fill.
