Powerhouse athlete Jessie Diggins competes in her first cross-country skiing event of the Milan Cortina Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 7 a.m. ET (airing on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock). Her skiing potentially could clinch the first U.S. medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Games and further elevate the U.S. cross-country skiing program.

The 2026 Games will be Diggins' fourth and final Olympics after she announced that she plans to retire at the end of the season. But first, she’ll compete in all six cross-country events at the Milan Cortina Olympics. The skiathlon is historically one of Diggins' strongest events.

Diggins has three Olympic medals thus far in her career: a gold from PyeongChang 2018 in the women's team sprint, a silver from Beijing 2022 in the women's 30km freestyle, and a bronze from Beijing 2022 in the women's sprint freestyle.

Ahead of this year's Games, she posted that she'll be wearing the exact same hair tinsel she wore when she won her first-ever U.S. cross-country gold medal in 2018. Since then, she’s become known for her signature face glitter, which she will wear along with the lucky throwback tinsel. 

Diggins heads into the skiathlon race as the top ranked woman in distance skiing. In December, she won the top spot at the women’s 20km skiathlon classic by 1 second over Norway’s Heidi Weng and 2.3 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Ebba Andersson.

The skiathlon race is a high-endurance event, almost akin to a marathon on skis. On the course, skiers will race 10km or 6.2 miles using the classic technique, then another 10km or 6.2 miles using the freestyle technique. The women’s race will be a mass start that lasts 55 to 65 minutes, with the first athlete to cross the finish line as the winner.

Classic skiing is like running on skis, while freestyle mirrors skating. Due to the differing needs of these techniques, the skiers will change their skis at the midway point. This pit stop moment is crucial for skiers, with the focus on their equipment team and wax techs.

The event will take place at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium, a venue that hosts world championships and the Tour De Ski.  

It won't be easy for Diggins. Her staunchest competition will come in the form of Andersson, who is a two-time world champion, and 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Weng, who is a consistent performer in the skiathlon. Also expected to push for the podium is Austria’s Theresa Stadlober, who won bronze at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and two-time Olympian Moa Ilar of Sweden.

If the results of the last world skiathlon race are any indication, this initial cross-country skiing event will bring close drama. It could also cement Diggins' legacy as a legendary U.S. skier.