(Zhangjiakou) Final of the women’s sprint relay in cross-country skiing.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
The Germans are about to cause a surprise. Katharina Hennig is waiting for her partner Victoria Carl, who is about to cross the finish line ahead of Sweden’s Jonna Sundling. She shows him the red line drawn in the snow. She can’t believe her eyes. The Germans are Olympic champions. Hennig’s cry echoed throughout the nearly empty stadium.
This surprise victory, which I have the privilege of watching from the bleachers, about ten meters from the finish, gave me my first thrills of the Games.
What followed blew me away even more. Behind the Russians and the Finns, fourth and fifth respectively, the Americans are 10 seconds behind. The defending champions will not succeed in repeating the feat of PyeongChang, where they had procured a first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing in the United States.
Jessie Diggins nevertheless pushes until the very end, even if the following competitors are very, very far behind.
“You just go as hard as you can,” the Minnesota cross-country skier explained to Sports Illustrated before the start of the Games. “From there, you never have to wonder: what would have happened if I had only tried? If I had committed myself? If I had been the person who gave the most? I would love to be the person who wins. But the only thing I have control over is being the person who gives the most. »
Crossing the wire, Diggins collapses in the snow. It is emptied of its energy, of its essence. It’s not for show.
Her teammate Rosie Brennan leans over her bedside and takes off her skis. After several long minutes of blowing in the snow, Diggins gets up with the help of Brennan, who slips a gray blanket over his shoulders. She struggles to stand on her feet. She almost looks like a zombie. For a fifth place.
Three days later, Diggins suffers from food poisoning which leaves her bedridden. On the advice of her mother, she still takes the start of the 30 km. Just to see. She earns the money behind the great Therese Johaug. The person who gives the most is her.