ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA — Jessie Diggins didn't win a medal Saturday in her first race of the Beijing Olympics. That was hard to tell from her upbeat mood after a sixth-place finish in the women's 15-kilometer skiathlon.
Diggins raved about the course at Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre. She talked about how excited she was to get started on her third Olympic Games. Her skis, her pacing and her conditioning were right where she wanted them, helping her record the day's fastest time in the freestyle portion of the race.
Even the frigid temperatures — 16 degrees with a wind chill of minus-2 at the start — didn't bother Diggins. The conditions certainly didn't slow down Therese Johaug of Norway, who dusted the field by more than 30 seconds to win the first gold medal awarded at the Beijing Olympics.
Johaug finished in 44 minutes, 13.7 seconds for her fourth career Olympic medal. Natalia Nepryaeva of Russia was second, 30.2 seconds behind, and Austria's Teresa Stadlober was third, missing silver by only .3 of a second.
The skiathlon combines both styles of cross-country skiing, with the first half done in classic technique and the second half in freestyle. Diggins finished 50.5 seconds behind Johaug in a time of 45:04.2, moving up a few spots with that swift back half.
"I definitely wish I had a better classic half," she said. "But the skate half was some of the best racing of my life, especially at altitude.
"I'm really, really happy. I'm pumped to see what I can do the rest of the week, but I'm also really proud of that race."
Diggins' teammate Rosie Brennan, who finished 14th, called the conditions "brutal." Athletes wore multiple layers of clothing and still felt the cold, even as they pushed their bodies to the limit.