HERE COMES DIGGINS!! HERE COMES DIGGINS!!
Moments later, Chad answered his own question in his own special way, "YES! YES! YES! YES! GOLD!"
And with that, Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall made history.
Sometimes history happens, sometimes history is made and sometimes history is seized.. Kikkan and Jessie seized history. Before her first leg, Jessie had a smile on her face and appeared to be dancing. I'm not sure I have ever seen an athlete so ready to do something that had never been done before. I'm not sure I have ever seen an athlete as prepared to grab her destiny. And grab it she did. With each of her three legs of the race, Jessie took off like a rocket. She had more determination than her competitors every time.
(Yes, I said each of her three legs. I was reminded yesterday that the Team Sprint Free is essentially a method of torture. Two teammates ski three different laps that last a little less than 3 minutes each. So you go all out for about 3 minutes, then you get a 3 minute break, then you go again, then another break, then you go again. This hurts just thinking about it.)
The commentary, which is receiving well deserved praise, added to the magic of the moment. Jessie came speeding around the last turn in second place. Shlanger was setting the stage and Chad was going crazy, as Chad does. Schlanger had to have prepared his set up, there is no way Chad did. Chad is pure emotion. The two blended together like a mash-up. The excitement was off the charts. Jessie was once again showing a level of determination necessary to create history.
Chad: They're all completely gassed! They've given it everything on the klaebo bakken! Stina Nilsson leading Jessie Diggins into the final turn, can Diggins Answer?!
Steve: As the roars rattle around the cross-country stadium in PyeongChang, Sweden, the U.S. and Norway come into the light!
Chad: HERE COMES DIGGINS!! HERE COMES DIGGINS!!
Steve: Diggins! Making the play around Sweden!
Chad: YES! YES! YES! YES!!
Steve: Jessie Diggins to the line!
Chad: GOLD!
Steve: And it is Jessie Diggins, delivering a landmark moment that will be etched in U.S. Olympic History!
All the while, Jessie Diggins, blonde pony tail bouncing behind her, surged into the lead and with one final ecstatic scream, stretched her left foot across the finish line, thrust one arm in the air and collapsed. History made? No. History seized.
I thrust two arms into the air, screamed "YES!" and wept. That's right, I wept. I have declared my love and allegiance to our Women's Cross Country Skiing Team. I remember my disappointment four years ago when Kikkan failed to earn the first U.S. Women's Cross Country medal in Sochi. I was not disappointed in her, I was disappointed for her. As the 2018 Winter Olympics began, I re-found my love for the Women's Cross Country Skiing Team and particularly for Jessie Diggins. As I have stated before, with each near miss, I died a little. 5th in the Skiathlon, 5th in the 10K Free Ski, 6th in the Sprint, and 5th in the Relay. It reached the point that I started avoiding my beloved Jessie, because seeing her or even just hearing her name brought me pain. She said all the right things, and I know that what she was accomplishing was incredible, but I wanted this for her as much as she wanted it for herself and her team. It is possible I was taking this all a little too far.
Kikkan Randall ran out to embrace her teammate and fellow gold medalist. Read that again. Fellow gold medalist. Glitter on their faces, color in their hair and gold medals around their necks. This is my third favorite gold medal ever, behind only the gold medal won by someone I actually know and Jason Lezak's comeback in the 2008 400 Free Relay. The combination of hard work, team work, fun people...and the glitter. It gets me every time.
As for that call. It may lack the poetry and political significance of "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" but what it lacks in poetry it more than makes up for with emotion. In four years, when NBC is putting together a highlight package to promote the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, I expect to hear "HERE COMES DIGGINS!! HERE COMES DIGGINS!!" This truly was a call for the ages.
I have watched the end of that race about 20 times in less than 24 hours. I can't see it enough. Like Jason Lezak coming back to win the 400 Free Relay in 2008, this is a race I expect to see hundreds of times in my life. I will never get tired of the blonde pony tail bouncing behind the glittered face, the frantic determined sprint, hearing "HERE COMES DIGGINS!! HERE COMES DIGGINS!!, the scream as Jessie crosses the line, and the Gold Medal. As I said yesterday , the most exciting thing to happen in 2018. I don't mean in the 2018 Winter Olympics. I mean in 2018.
Reflections on What We have Seen:
1. I think I covered this above.
2. The Gold Medal in Cross Country Skiing was really just the beginning of an incredible day. The Women's Speed Skating Pursuit Team won bronze to end a two Olympic drought for medals in Speed Skating; the U.S. went 1-2 in Men's Ski Half Pipe; Michaela won her second medal of the Games; as did Jamie Anderson (both silver); and Women's Bobsled silver.
3. GOLD! For the U.S. Women's Hockey Team. Shootouts are not the best way to end a game, but they do make things exciting. The second time in 24 hours I was almost brought to tears by U.S women.
4. Curling! On to the gold medal match for the U.S. Men's Team!
What to Watch For:
1. Women's Figure Skating. Put the Short Program behind you, ladies and channel your inner Nathan Chen.
2. Women's Ski Cross - always a fun ride.
3. The end of the Women's Cross Country Team Free Ski. Really. Watch it again. And again. And again. It's that good.
4. Curling!
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