Getty Image / Matthias Hangst
The United States won its first-ever medal in women’s Cross-Country Skiing yesterday. And it wasn’t just any medal, Team USA’s first medal in women’s Cross-Country was a GOLD MEDAL thanks to Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins. If you weren’t tuned into primetime NBC Winter Olympics coverage last night you missed one of the best moments of Olympics coverage yet.
The race itself took place earlier in the day yesterday, but we should all be thankful that NBC decided to replay the footage in primetime because it was the most electric finish to a race imaginable. Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins were sitting in 2nd or 3rd place for pretty much the entire time NBC was showing the race but at the last moment Jessie Diggins dug deep within herself and hit that 6th gear.
This clip is from Twitter (you can find me on Twitter at @casspa!), so if Twitter is blocked for you at work or wherever you can see NBC’s tweet of the footage here, there’s also a full YoUTube clip of the race below but it’s with different announcers. Here are the American announcers going absolutely NUTS for Team USA down the stretch as they pass Norway for Gold…TURN ON THE SOUND for this Twitter video, you’ll want it:
This is what history looks and sounds like. @jessdiggs and @kikkanimal win @TeamUSA's first ever gold medal in cross-country skiing.
You'll want your sound up for this… pic.twitter.com/86PQ4KQaH3
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 21, 2018
She pushed herself harder than she could’ve ever imagined and moved into the Gold Medal spot at the last possible moment. This is the moment she’s trained her ENTIRE LIFE for and it paid off. This is why the Olympics are so fucking awesome.
Here’s that full YouTube clip of the race that I was talking about before. This has different announcers but the energy will still get you pumped up all the same:
USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!! USA!!!