Local grandmother basking in glory of Olympic win

HARLINGEN — The Winter Olympic Games are over now, but one local resident will never forget what she witnessed.

Lois Diggins, 85, continues to follow her granddaughter, Jessie Diggins’ historic gold medal victory in the news.

And now, she is waiting for her proud Olympian to come show her the gold medal.

“Next time she comes down I’m going to have her bring the gold with her, so we can all feel it,” Lois said yesterday, just days after Jessie’s triumphant cross country race. “Apparently the medal is quite heavy, and I want to see it.”

Jessie made history at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, capturing the gold medal in the Nordic team sprint, the first medal of any kind for the U.S. women’s cross country ski team.

Her friends also are noticing and paying attention.

Over the last few days, Lois has been receiving hand written letters from her friends and phone calls congratulating her for Jessie’s Olympic success.

Lois has amassed a stack of newspaper and magazine clippings about Jessie since the start of the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea.

But, their best moment came when the longtime Harlingen resident watched from her home her granddaughter win the United States’ first cross country gold medal.

“I had half my family in South Korea last week,” Lois said. “We were all excited she beat the Norwegians.”

Jessie has a long standing rivalry with the Noregian team who are very good at cross country Lois said.

It couldn’t have been any closer. Jessie had to come from behind and blew past the Norwegains to catch up to the Sweedens before passing them by inches at the end of the race.

In some ways, it wasn’t quite as exciting as watching it live. Lois actually knew Jessie had won the gold before she saw the race.

Jessie’s mother called Lois at around 4 a.m. in the morning to report she had won gold.

Diggins anchored the last leg of the race, and made an epic sprint to overtaking Stina Nilsson of Sweeden in the final turn.

“I am very proud of her,” Lois said of Jessie.

During the Winter Games Jessie had found herself just a few places short of the podium in her other events.

It wasn’t until the team cross country event that she was able to grab her first medal and make history for American cross country skiing.

“She has been doing this all her life,” Lois said about Jessie’s passion for cross country skiing.

Lois said it has been two years since Jessie has visited her. She said Jessie works so hard and her professional skiing career keeps her busy racing opponents around the world.

“I am very excited for her and I am very proud of her,” Lois said about her granddaughter. “I can tell you nobody works harder than her – She never stops training.”

She called Jessie a lovely person and hard worker.

Lois said Jessie is currently in New York doing interviews and then she will fly back to Europe to continue her participation in the Cross County World Cup Tour.

Lois recalls Jessie getting her start at skiing by riding on the back of her father.

“He would put her in his backpack and Jessie would tug at him saying faster, faster, go faster dad,” Lois remembers.