Three-time Olympian Jessie Diggins officially announced her retirement on Wednesday. The 34-year-old is the most decorated American cross-country skier in history and plans to hang up her skis after the 2025-26 season. The Milan Cortina Winter Games will be the final Olympics for Diggins, who plans to end her career after the World Cup Finals in Lake Placid in March.

I think I'm ending at the right time. I didn't want to hold on too long and not be loving what I'm doing. So, I wanted to find that sweet spot of ending my career while still loving everything that I'm doing and knowing that I'm totally satisfied and ready to walk away.

Diggins said she first started pondering retirement a few years ago and thought: “It’ll be so nice someday to be home for Christmas. Wouldn't it be great someday to go to the family cabin with Wade (her husband) and not be training all the time?” However, when these thoughts initially crept in, she said she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of not racing. But then at some point, she was given a sign that her feeling had changed. “I think the super-competitive fire isn't really there, and I still feel it for team events and individual start distance races, but I stopped really feeling it for sprints. Last season, I was just kind of standing on the start line, like, ‘OK, I guess I’m doing this, but I’m not, like, I want to win. I was like, I really don't care.’” 

She was relieved that the girl who once thought she would “ski forever” was able to come to terms with the idea of retirement. She knew then that she was ready for just one more season. “I think it's easier to walk away from the sport feeling totally fulfilled by both the racing side, but more importantly, like the community and the people side,” Diggins said.

Despite all the accolades she’s earned in cross-country skiing, for the 5-foot-4 fierce competitor, it’s always been about the people. “Without this community it would mean nothing, you're literally just like slogging around a loop on two by fours, like it would be so ridiculous if it weren't for what it means to do it with this team that I love so much with these coaches, these wax techs, all the people behind the scenes,” Diggins said.

It all started for Diggins in her hometown of Afton, Minnesota. The tenacious toddler started skiing with her parents before she even could walk and seemingly never looked back. She made the U.S. Ski Team in 2011 and over her nearly 15-year-career has put Team USA on the map in the world of cross-country skiing. Diggins had a homecoming last year that many athletes only dream of. Minneapolis hosted the Stifel Loppet Cup, just a short drive from where she grew up. It was the first time in over 20 years that a cross-country skiing World Cup event was held in the U.S.. Fans lined the course, their cheeks sparkling with glitter — something Diggins often wears when racing to remind herself of her love for the grueling sport that she’s turned into a career. “I've had everything that I wanted since that home World Cup in Minneapolis. That was everything I've ever wanted and anything else is just icing on the cake,” Diggins said.

Diggins nearly has won every title possible and has broken barrier after barrier along the way. But despite the sparkling successes, the cross-country skier’s journey never has been easy. Throughout her career, she's battled back from various injuries and sought treatment for mental health issues and disordered eating. Her courage and resilience are part of what separate her from the rest of the pack. She even documented her experience with the hope of helping others in “Brave Enough,” a memoir about the challenges and struggles she faced.

In addition, Diggins puts an incredible amount of stress on her body with her drive and ability to physically push the limits of her “pain cave.” The term is used to describe her state of maximum effort, which allows Diggins to know that after every training, race or competition, she’s given absolutely everything. Her rigorous full-throttle training has paid dividends. She became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing in 2018, alongside teammate Kikkan Randall in the team sprint, and went on to earn a silver and a bronze in Beijing.

Now, with just fourth months left in her career, Diggins isn’t coasting to the finish line. She won the 2025 FIS World Cup Crystal Globes for distance and overall — making her the top skier in the world. At the 2026 Olympics in Milan Cortina, many believe Diggins can compete for gold in the 10km freestyle event. However, she’s approaching the Games without any pressure, knowing she’s already checked all of her boxes.

I think it just frees me to enjoy it, even when it's hard, because it's the last time I'm ever going to do this. It's not like, because it's the last time it has to go perfectly. My career is this entire body of work, and I just want to be there, to be present and enjoy every single day and every single race experience.

Off the snow, the skier’s impact equally has been impressive. Diggins is a fierce climate advocate for Protect Our Winters (POW) and has spent time lobbying with elected officials in Washington, D.C. during the offseason. She’s also an ambassador for The Emily Program — a resource for people struggling with disordered eating. The Olympian also is a known mentor to her younger teammates and has become an inspiration for the next generation of American cross-country skiers.

As for her next chapter, Diggins plans to continue her current advocacy work and wants to expand her reach through keynote speaking. “When I ski race, everyone's watching, and you get this one moment to try to leave people feeling inspired. I'm not trying to inspire people by collapsing at the finish line any longer, but hopefully inspiring people with my words and my story,” Diggins said.

Next on the docket after some much needed rest and relaxation, the “pain cave” enthusiast also wants to do a 100-mile trail run. It needs to be scenic, beautiful, and of course, mountainous. While that may sound arduous to most, Diggins is looking forward to a challenge that involves much less travel and time away from her husband.

Diggins is expected to compete during the entire 2025–26 FIS Cross-Country World Cup season, which kicks off on Thanksgiving weekend and finishes with the Finals in Lake Placid, New York on March 19-22, 2026. Cross-country skiing begins on Feb. 7 with the Skiathlon on NBC and Peacock, and while the U.S. team hasn’t officially been named yet, Diggins is planning a victory lap with 60 of her closest friends and family in Milan Cortina.