American cross-country skier Jessica Diggins bruised her ribs during the 20km skiathlon on Saturday. The 34-year-old later revealed that the fall and subsequent injury made it hard for her to breathe.
Diggins, who finished eighth in the 20km skiathlon on Saturday, was back in action on Tuesday as she took part in the women’s sprint classic event. However, she could only manage a fourth-place finish in what was a highly competitive quarterfinal heat and was eliminated as a result.
Jessica Diggins Injury Update After Fall in 20km Skiathlon
Earlier on Tuesday, NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach provided an update on Diggins’ injury situation. In a post on social media platform X, Auerbach revealed that the Team USA cross-country skier had suffered bruised ribs.
Jessie Diggins just told me after sprint qualifying that she bruised her ribs during her fall in the women’s skiathlon on Saturday and “it really hurts.” She said she’ll be OK but the bruised ribs make it hard to breathe. @NBCOlympics
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) February 10, 2026
Her post read, “Jessie Diggins just told me after sprint qualifying that she bruised her ribs during her fall in the women’s skiathlon on Saturday and ‘it really hurts’. She said she’ll be OK but the bruised ribs make it hard to breathe.”
Diggins showcased great resilience and determination to compete in the sprint classic despite the injury. The Minnesota native finished 20th in the qualification event and made it to the quarterfinals. However, she narrowly missed out on a spot in the semifinals.
Team USA’s Julia Kern finished in sixth place in the women’s cross-country sprint classic final, capping off an impressive run. Linn Svahn dominated proceedings and won the gold medal, while Jonna Sundling won silver and Maja Dahlqvist claimed bronze, making it an all-Sweden podium.
What Diggins Said After Fall in Skiathlon
Diggins further told NBC that, despite the crash, her focus remained on skiing as well as she could. The three-time FIS World Cup overall title winner will now turn her focus to the women’s 10km free event scheduled for Thursday.
“The crash wasn’t that big of a deal to me. Yes, I did lose some time, but that wasn’t the bigger problem today, so I just kept focusing on, ‘stay calm, work your way back and ski the best you can ski’,” she said via NBC Sports.
Diggins is a three-time Olympic medalist, and she is currently competing in her fourth Olympic Games. She won gold in the team sprint at the 2018 Winter Olympics, silver in the 30km freestyle, and bronze in the individual sprint at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
