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BEIJING — Jessie Diggins has a fan in Mikaela Shiffrin.
Requested Friday if there was one other U.S. athlete she’d like to look at, the two-time Olympic champion named Diggins. Shiffrin mentioned she and her dad and mom have been captivated 4 years in the past as they sat of their resort and watched Diggins and Kikkan Randall win gold within the group dash on the Pyeongchang Olympics.
It was the primary gold medal for america in cross-country snowboarding, and the primary medal of any coloration within the sport since 1976.
“We watched the, `Right here comes Diggins! Right here comes Diggins!’” Shiffrin recalled, referring to NBC commentator Chad Salmela’s exuberant response when Diggins caught and handed Sweden’s Stina Nilsson down the stretch.”
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“My Dad – he almost blew out of the constructing in pleasure. He beloved cross-country, he beloved Nordic, he simply beloved sports activities on the whole. He was so excited. He was like, `Do you even know what this implies?’ He was bawling,” Shiffrin mentioned. “I used to be like, `Dad, you’re extra enthusiastic about this than you’re for me.’ And that’s saying one thing!”
Shiffrin’s father, Jeff, died unexpectedly Feb. 2, 2020, after a fall on the household’s dwelling.
Diggins begins competitors on the Beijing Olympics on Saturday with the skiathlon, which mixes basic and freestyle snowboarding.
Shiffrin additionally mentioned she’d like to look at figure skating dwell. Or, extra particularly at these Video games, watch as 2018 bronze medalist Adam Rippon coaches Mariah Bell.
“I’m wondering if he feedback. I’m wondering if he says stuff,” Shiffrin mentioned.
The colourful and at all times quotable Rippon? In fact he does.
He’d most likely also have a few issues to say about Shiffrin if he made it to Alpine snowboarding.
“He could be like, `Uh, no, thanks. This isn’t my scene. You guys are bizarre and loopy,’” Shiffrin mentioned. “I feel he’d be like, `It’s actually chilly. That is dumb.’”
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