Cross Country Skiing Preview: US Eager to Build on Success

(AP) -- When Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall won the United States' first Olympic gold medal in cross country skiing in 2018, they turned a page and brought their country to the line next to the Nordic powerhouses of Norway, Russia, Sweden and Finland.

Diggins' subsequent success has proved that their success wasn't a fluke. She was the World Cup overall champion in 2021, while teammate Rosie Brennan was fourth. Randall has since retired.

Diggins and Brennan along with a revamped U.S. team head to the Beijing Games in February with a list of podium finishes and hopes for more medals.

"All I can do is feel confident in the work that I've put in and feel confident in knowing that I know how to push hard," Diggins said after finishing the recent Tour de Ski in Europe. "So for me going into the next Olympics, and every race between now and then, I do know that when I crossed the finish line, I'll have given everything I have."

Norway's Marit Bjorgen, who won five medals in Pyeongchang and a total of 15 in her career, more than any other Winter Olympian, retired after the 2018 Games.

Her former teammate, Therese Johaug, has won three Olympic medals and is set to add to that tally. Heidi Weng, also from Norway, will surely be in the mix.

Sweden's top medal winner in 2018, Stina Nilsson, has switched to biathlon, but the team has dominated on the World Cup circuit this season. Maja Dahlquist has been hard to beat in the sprint races while Ebba Andersson and Frida Karlsson have collected medals in the distance races.

Russia's Natalia Nepryaeva is showing strong form after taking the gold in the six-stage FIS Tour de Ski, which started in Switzerland, moved to Germany and concluded Jan. 4 with a climb up an alpine ski slope in Italy.