Jessi Diggins is put to a tough test. © APA/afp / JOE KLAMAR

Injured Olympic champion insulted as drama queen

At this year's Tour de Ski, the US-American dominator Jessie Diggins not only had to fight against her opponents, but also with massive foot pain. A media company took this as an opportunity to call the 33-year-old a "drama queen".

09 January 2025

From: sn

Jessie Diggins is one of the most influential figures in cross-country skiing. But what the American experienced during this year's Tour de Ski shows impressively that success is often only possible through enormous deprivation.

Almost a week ago, she wrote on her Instagram channel: "It's no secret that I've been struggling with severe foot pain lately, so I'm very grateful to have a great team around me to help me deal with my plantar fasciitis."

baseless accusation

Plantar fasciitis is a chronic inflammation in the heel area and is particularly common in endurance athletes who do running sports. As if that wasn't enough, representatives of a media company, whose name Diggins deliberately did not mention, asked whether she was deliberately pretending to be ill and accused the multiple world champion of being an actress and drama queen.

Diggins is one of the best cross-country skiers in the world. © APA/afp / JOE KLAMAR

Diggins deals with the allegations diplomatically: "Pain is subjective, and before you mock someone else's pain, you should realize that you have no idea what that person is really going through." In the attached video, it is clearly visible that the 2018 Olympic champion has to wear an orthopedic shoe for relief even in her free time.

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jessie Diggins (@jessiediggins)

Despite the physical strain, the 33-year-old reached sixth place in Val di Fiemme and is third in the overall ranking after the tour. She received prominent support: Ski legend Lindsey Vonn surprised her teammate at the side of the track and her visit created an emotional moment.

A career full of milestones

Jessie Diggins has long been more than just a successful cross-country skier - she is a role model for strength of will and team spirit. She celebrated her greatest triumph in 2018 when she won gold in the team sprint at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang together with Kikkan Randall. This historic triumph was not only the first Olympic victory in cross-country skiing for the USA, but also an emotional high point of her career.

She has also repeatedly made history in the World Cup. In the 2020/21 season, she was the first non-European to win the overall World Cup. She is also one of the few athletes who consistently performs at the top of the world in all disciplines - from sprint to long distance. Nevertheless, the two-time world champion from 2014 and 2023 has to face accusations of exaggerating her pain.