The skiing events at the Winter Olympics have already taken out former champions. Just take a look at Lindsey Vonn's season-ending injury. However, Jessie Diggins overcame the odds to grab bronze.

On February 12, the 34-year-old just secured Bronze in the cross-country skiing at Milan Cortina. She made it to the podium of the women's 10km freestyle event while racing with bruised ribs from a crash just days earlier.

In her first race on Saturday, she crashed in the Women’s Skiathlon, sustaining the injury. The “big crash” caused her trouble breathing and skiing, but that did not stop her.

The three-time medallist secured the fourth one as she touched the finishing line in 23 minutes 38 seconds. An exhausted Diggins collapsed after the race, but at that moment, she was the “happiest bronze medallist in the world”.

"You can block out the pain to some degree while you’re racing, but when you finish, it all comes flooding in," she said after the win. "I knew that was going to happen, but I was only going to let that in once I’d crossed the finishing line," she added.

Even the U.S. head coach, Matt Whitcomb, called it “the gutsiest race” he's ever coached. "She was in agony before the start," he added. "We did everything — heat, massage, TENS, mobilization — to get her upright. Once she got moving, she found another gear. That final lap was pure heart."

However, Jessie Diggins wasn't the only one who skied despite an injury.

Lindsey Vonns Skied With No ACL

On February 8, Alpine skier Vonn went down the slopes with a torn ACL she sustained in a tune-up race on January 30. Unfortunately for Vonn, she couldn't taste success like Jessie Diggins.

Just 13 seconds in, her right arm hooked in the gate, her body twisted in the air, and she crashed hard. The 41-year-old lay on ice for 20 minutes, getting medical help, and was eventually airlifted.

The crash resulted in surgery, ending her 2026 Olympic chase. However, the athlete herself had zero regrets. “While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets,” she wrote in an Instagram post on February 10.

These athletes prove that it’s not always about winning the race, but about showing up despite the odds. No matter the result, both Vonn and Diggins gave testimony of their endurance, which goes beyond any medals.

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Written by

Deblina Roy

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi