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Cheered on by the hometown crowd, Afton native Jesse Diggins finished fourth in the World Cup freestyle sprint at Theodore Worth Park on Saturday.
Sweden’s Jonah Sandling, the 2022 Olympic champion in this event, won the first World Cup race in the United States in 23 years with a time of 3:06.40. This season’s sprint points leader, Sweden’s Lynn Svarn, was second, 0.95 seconds behind, and Norway’s Kristin Stavas Skistad was third with a time of 3:09.08.
Diggins, this season’s overall World Cup points leader, will compete in her signature event, the 10km freestyle, on Sunday.
Four American women and four American men made it through the preliminary rounds and advanced to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal round will include his five heats with six skiers each. Diggins set the second-best time in qualifying behind Sandling. Bloomington’s Zach Ketterson also advanced to the quarterfinals with a best time of 14th place. They placed 5th in the quarterfinals and did not advance to the semifinals.
Most of Saturday’s spectators were new to a World Cup race since 2001, the last time a World Cup race came to the United States. One of the first things they learned was that they could hear the venue before they could see it.
Those who entered the park at 8 a.m. enjoyed a gentle hike until they reached the bridge on the east side. Then AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” spun by the on-site hype man, echoes through the woods, and the trailhead is surrounded by fans dressed in goose down and fleece, and a few American flags. It’s full of.
Even beginners knew to bring cowbells, a favorite noise maker for ski enthusiasts. By the time qualifying began at 10 a.m., thousands of people were glued to the prime viewing areas. And when Diggins hit the track for the first time, they eased up.
The sound waves inspired her, the sixth skier in the starting order and the first American, to press her feet onto the snow. Her smile never left her face. After the qualifying race, Diggins ran up to a U.S. Ski Team staff member, hugged him and exclaimed, “That was so cool!”
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