Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern will represent the United States in the women's team sprint freestyle at the Milan Cortina Games, seeking a medal in Diggins' final Olympic race. Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo pairs with Einar Hedegård to pursue a 10th career Olympic gold in the men's event. The competitions are set for Wednesday at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme, Italy.
The women's team sprint freestyle features 26 teams competing over 9 kilometers, with finals expected to last about 18 minutes. Each two-person team alternates three laps on a 1.5-kilometer course. Qualification involves one lap per skier, with times combined to advance the top 15 teams. The United States enters with Diggins and Kern, who earned bronze at the 2023 world championships and silver in 2025. This marks a swan-song event for Diggins, retiring at season's end. In 2018 at PyeongChang, Diggins and Kikkan Randall secured the US's first Olympic cross-country gold in this event, overtaking Norway and Sweden. At Beijing 2022, using classic technique, Diggins and Rosie Brennan placed fifth.
Sweden's Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist seek redemption after earning silver in 2022, where Germany surged ahead. The Swedish pair has medaled multiple times in Milan Cortina events. Norway took gold in the women's 4x7.5km relay, capitalizing on Sweden's fall in snowy conditions. Switzerland's Nadine Faehndrich and Anja Weber notched a World Cup podium in March 2025.
In the men's final, 27 teams race for 17 minutes. Norway's Klæbo, with two Olympic golds, four world titles, and six World Cup wins in team sprints, has four golds at these Games, totaling nine career Olympic golds—the most ever. A win would make 10. Italy's Federico Pellegrino, retiring post-Games, and Elia Barp aim to end the host nation's Olympic medal drought, building on their December World Cup second place. France's Mathis Desloges, with three silvers here, and Jules Chappaz target bronze. Sweden often podiums. The US's Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher, with a best Olympic finish of sixth, hope for top five or better if rivals falter.
The FIS cross-country account noted on social media: "It looks like a lot of teams could be in the fight for a medal 👊🏼".
