Jessie Diggins ‘full of gratitude’ after ending a glittering Olympic career in cross-country skiing

TESERO, Italy (AP) — Jessie Diggins crossed the line Sunday as she has done so often over 15 years on the world stage — with the tank entirely empty.

Collapsed on the snow with her chest heaving, Diggins ended a 50-kilometer race in fifth place — just a few seconds shy of one more medal.

“If you had told me even a year ago, I’d be in the fight for a bronze medal in a 50k classic, I would not have believed you,” she said. "I can confidently say I could not possibly have tried harder or gotten more out of my body.”

It marked the final Olympic event for an athlete who transformed American cross‑country skiing and became a symbol of endurance.

With glitter still streaked across her cheeks, the world’s top‑ranked women’s cross country skier said she was thankful for all the people who had helped her reach this stage in a career that started while she was still at high school in Minnesota.

“I am full of gratitude, joy and love and it’s just been so special. It’s taken so much work from so many people to get me here," she said. “I’m really happy with how I’m leaving it because it was an amazing last Olympics.”

The 34-year-old Diggins won the United States’ first-ever Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing with team sprint partner Kikkan Randall at PyeongChang in 2018, adding a silver and bronze at the Beijing Games four years later.

At Milan Cortina, she again raced to a podium position, finishing third in the 10-kilometer interval start despite suffering painful rib bruising from a crash in her opening race.

Her farewell took place at an Olympics dominated in cross-country skiing by Sweden’s women.

Diggins hung in the lead group with eventual gold medalist Ebba Andersson, of Sweden, but fell behind when she took a spill after changing her skis at the start of the third lap.

She pushed through serious muscle cramps in the second half of the race to be in a chase group that could never close the big gap behind Andersson, or catch second-place finisher, Norway’s Heidi Weng, but were all in a battle for third.

On the final climb, the wax on Diggins' skis couldn't seem to hold the grip necessary for her to pass Switzerland’s Nadja Kaelin, who won bronze.

The American’s legacy extends beyond results.

Diggins said she will continue to campaign for climate change awareness, as registered by dwindling snowfall globally, and to support people coping with eating disorders.

"I’m just so proud of being gritty and being able to give my best and not just in a bib, off the snow as well, doing what I need to do to be a good human and try to make the world a little bit better,” she said.

In Italy, she also leaned into levity — joining choreographed dances with younger U.S. teammates in online posts.

As a senior figure on the team, she has paired intensity with openness, encouraging younger athletes to race fiercely but stay grounded.

Although this was her final Olympic appearance, Diggins still has a mission in her final competitive season. The most decorated cross‑country skier in U.S. history leaves Italy still focused on the World Cup season.

Holding the overall lead, she will return to the circuit in the coming days to pursue another crystal globe, with final races this season taking place March 19-22 in Lake Placid, New York.

Ronn Randall, the father of her gold-medal teammate, Kikkan, had come from Alaska to watch the Olympics and was impressed by the effort Diggins still pours into each event.

“She seems to have the attitude that she wants to take part in all these like one last time and really give it one last shot,” he said. “I don’t know whether she’s going to come away sad because she didn’t win races or didn’t get a medal or whether she’s just going to be happy that she gave absolutely every bit she could in the given situation.”

With the optimism Diggins exudes, she'd probably say the latter.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross-country skiing women's team sprint free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Kerttu Niskanen, of Finland, from right, Teresa Stadlober, of Austria, Jessie Diggins, of the United States, and Nadja Kaelin, of Switzerland, compete in the cross country skiing women's 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Silver medalist Ebba Andersson, of Sweden, from left, gold medalist Frida Karlsson, of Sweden, and bronze medalist Jessie Diggins, of the United States, pose for a selfie on the podium of the cross country skiing women's 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jessie Diggins, of the United States, competes in the cross country skiing women's 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Secret Service announced Sunday that an armed man was shot and killed after entering the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House during this incident. First lady Melania Trump was also with the president.

The name of the person who was shot has not been released. According to the Secret Service, he was “observed by the north gate of the Mar-a-Lago property carrying what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can.” The incident took place at 1:30 a.m. Sunday.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Rick Bradshaw, speaking at a brief press conference, said the man was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a sheriff's deputy.

“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with them. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position," Bradshaw said. The two agents and the deputy "fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

The FBI asked residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.

The suspect, who was in his early 20s and from North Carolina, was reported missing a few days ago by his family. Investigators believe he left North Carolina and headed south, picking up a shotgun along the way, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, who added that the box for the gun was recovered in his vehicle.

Guglielmi said that the man drove through the north gate of Mar-a-Lago as another vehicle was exiting.

Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile and a motive is still under investigation. Asked whether the individual was known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”

The incident comes as the U.S. has been rocked multiple times in recent years by political violence. Just last year, that included the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife, and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

The incursion on Saturday at Trump’s Florida home is a few miles from his West Palm Beach golf club where a man tried to assassinate Trump while he played golf during the 2024 election. A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.

Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally in 2024. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.

The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Sunday.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the National Governors Association dinner at the White House, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

FILE - This is an aerial view of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Aug. 10, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)