Jessie Diggins, who with teammate Kikkan Randall captured the first Olympic women’s cross-country medal in United States history by winning the team sprint gold, will be the U.S. flag bearer in Sunday’s Closing Ceremonies for the PyeongChang Olympics.
Participating in her second Olympics, Diggins, 26, won the gold with a powerful late finishing kick to edge Sweden’s Stina Nilsson by 0.19 seconds. The She is the first cross-country skier to carry the flag for the U.S. in a Closing Ceremonies. The United States’ only other Olympic cross-country medal was won by Bill Koch in the 30-kilometer event in 1976.
“This is such an incredible honor for me,” Diggins said in a statement issued by the U.S. Olympic Committee. “I’m really humbled and moved that the athletes voted for me. It’s so inspiring to feel the support and cheering from everyone. The coolest thing for me about the Games has been getting to meet other athletes on Team USA, and getting to cheer them on at their events and learn about what they do. I have so much respect and admiration for everybody here and am beyond honored to be able to lead us out of these Games.”
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