Jessie Diggins grabs historic World Cup win

Jessie Diggins had set her sights on a World Cup victory Sunday. The cross-country skier from Afton got what she wanted, even though her view was a little blurry.

Diggins skied so hard in a 20-kilometer freestyle that she forgot to blink on the final downhill. She said her contact lenses froze to her eyes, but she maintained her focus, charging to an historic win in Davos, Switzerland. The first-place finish was her 14th in a World Cup individual event, most ever by an American.

After racing to second place in Saturday's freestyle sprint, Diggins used swift skis and her usual grit to conclude a glittering weekend in Davos. She finished Sunday's individual-start race in 48 minutes, 43.2 seconds, 5.5 seconds ahead of Norway's Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg. Another American, Rosie Brennan, was third.

"Wow, what a day!'' Diggins said to US Ski & Snowboard. "I felt really good.

"I was able to bounce back really well from the sprint the day before, and I felt like I could push really hard. This win means a lot.''

A three-time Olympian, Diggins, 31, added to her status as the most accomplished cross-country skier in U.S. history. The victory broke a tie with Kikkan Randall for most individual World Cup victories by an American. Diggins and Randall teamed up in 2018 for the first U.S. cross-country gold at the Olympics, in the team sprint, and Diggins' three Olympic medals are the most of any American in her sport.

Sunday's victory was her second of the World Cup season, following a 10k freestyle win earlier this month in Lillehammer, Norway. She is second in the women's World Cup overall standings.

Diggins was the 27th skier in Sunday's start order and remained among the top three at every marker. Given the high altitude in Davos, she expected it to be a painful race. She said she felt surprisingly good, soaking up energy from a large contingent of American fans.

She was especially fast over the final 2.8 kilometers of what she called "a sneaky, hard course,'' using her downhill speed to surpass Oestberg's time.

After the race, Diggins collapsed on the snow and needed some assistance. "I was too focused on racing my heart out and didn't blink enough on the downhill,'' she wrote on Instagram. "[I] froze my contact lenses in my eyes. I'm OK now and no lasting damage!''

Next up for Diggins is the Tour de Ski, a seven-stage event that begins Dec. 31 in Val Mustair, Switzerland. Diggins is the only American to win the Tour de Ski, capturing the women's title in 2021.