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USA Finally Wins A Medal In Women’s Cross-Country Skiing

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

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Team USA finally won their first medal for women’s cross-country skiing Wednesday.

Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall won gold medals in women’s freestyle cross-country skiing (the first American Olympians to win a gold medal in the event), according to the New York Post. While finally winning a gold medal with Diggins in the team-sprint free final — after 18 tries throughout the Olympic competitions since Salt Lake City in 2002 — this was Randall’s fifth and last Olympics, according to NPR.

“I was so excited and so happy, and also I couldn’t feel my legs,” Diggins added, upon seeing her teammate at the finish line. The skiers beat the Swedish team (Charlotte Kalla and Stina Nilsson) by 0.19 seconds over the 4.66-miles race, finishing at a brisk 16:22.56.

Norwegian cross-country-skier Marit Bjoergen (37) also congratulated the Americans’ victory. “I’m very, very happy for Jessie and Kikkan today taking a gold medal,” Bjorgen said. “I feel that it’s also special that Kikkan is there, who also started her Olympic [career] in Salt Lake with me. I’m really happy for them, and I also think that it’s important for our sport too that they are there.” The Norwegian athlete is the most decorated Winter Olympian (14 medals).

Randall is also the only mother on Team USA competing at Pyeongchang.

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