Milano Cortina 2026 - Team USA - Cross-Country Skiing

[clemsonbeav 601]

Team USA 2026

 

Women - Rosie Brennan, Jessie Diggins, Lauren Jortberg, Julia Kern, Kendall Kramer, Novie McCabe, Samantha “Sammy” Smith, Hailey Swirbul

 

Men - John Steel Hagenbuch, Zak Ketterson, Zanden McMullen, Ben Ogden, James “JC” Schoonmaker, Gus Schumacher, Hunter Wonders, Jack Young

 

History

 

This is a sport dominated by the Nordic countries.  Out of 544 medals ever awarded, the USA has only earned 4.  But!  Jessie Diggins won two of those (a silver and a bronze) in the W 30km event and the Individual Sprint (respectively) in 2022.  Additionally, Diggins and teammate Kikkan Randall won gold in Pyeongchang in 2018 in the Team Sprint.  Before that, you have to go back to Innsbruck in 1976, where the lone male cross-country skiier Bill Koch won silver in the M 30km event.

Edited January 24 by clemsonbeav

[clemsonbeav 601]

While the team won't be announced until January, NBC Olympics has some athletes to keep an eye out on:

 

• Ben Ogden took third place in the 10km freestyle in Jan. 2025. It marked his second career World Cup podium finish.
• Gus Schumacher earned his first-ever World Cup win in Feb. 2024 in the 10km freestyle and became the youngest U.S. athlete ever to win a World Cup race.
• Schumacher also became the first American man ever to reach the World Cup podium in a 20km freestyle mass start race in Feb. 2025. The second-place finish was his second career World Cup podium appearance.
• Ogden and Schumacher are the best chances for the U.S. men to end the team's 50-year medal drought.

 

• Jessie Diggins is the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier of all time with an Olympic medal in every color. She won the 2025 FIS World Cup Crystal Globes for distance and overall. Diggins is expected to compete for gold in the 10km freestyle. She also has predicted to be a podium contender in skiathlon.
• American Julia Kern teamed up with Diggins in the women’s team sprint classic at the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and took home silver.

[clemsonbeav 601]

Announcement of the team from US Ski & Snowboard: https://www.usskiandsnowboard.org/news/2025-26-stifel-us-cross-country-ski-team-announced

 

(This is the overall team, not who is going to the Olympics.)

[Quaker2001 339]

 

[clemsonbeav 601]

Roster updated...we picked up one reallocated spot, so we have a full team.  C'mon Diggins and all!

[clemsonbeav 601]

Diggins not looking so hot this morning in the classic, but she came back to take top 10...still impressive.

Edited February 7 by clemsonbeav

[clemsonbeav 601]

How 'bout our men!

[bmo 266]

30 minutes ago, clemsonbeav said:

How 'bout our men!

What a great result in the sprint competitions!

[clemsonbeav 601]

Final CC thoughts...

 

Diggins - It sounds like she's proud of her performances in her final runs.  She gave it her all.  Glad she was able to bring home a little hardware.

 

Ben Ogden - What a surprise!  You're on my radar now, kid!  And another silver with Schumacher?  See you both hopefully in 2030!

[bmo 266]

Happy with our results in Cross Country Skiing. Wish Diggins got one more medal in the 50km in her final Olympic race, but I'm proud of her for gutting through these two weeks with the injury she sustained in the skiathlon. Going to miss watching her race at the Olympics. One of my favorite Olympians in recent memory. (there will be a documentary about her this week on Peacock).

 

Ogden was a pleasant surprise. Didn't expect us to contend in any men's events, but Ogden was a huge breakout star of these games.