It has been a standout New Year’s race period for Team USA on the FIS Cross-Country Skiing World Cup circuit. Jessie Diggins extended her commanding lead in this season’s Tour de Ski with back-to-back victories in Toblach, Italy, while Gus Schumacher capped off New Year’s Eve with a breakthrough win in the men’s race, giving the United States a rare sweep on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
The U.S. double came on the final day of 2025, when Diggins won the women’s 5-kilometer Heat Mass Start Freestyle—a new and experimental format on the World Cup—shortly after Schumacher claimed victory in the men’s race earlier in the day. The event marked the third stage of the Tour de Ski, which has been shortened from seven races to six this season ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
The unfamiliar 5-kilometer format added intrigue. The course in Toblach featured a relatively flat opening lap followed by a decisive long climb and a smaller ascent on the second loop, leaving questions over whether the race would favor sprinters or distance specialists. Diggins, one of the most versatile skiers in the sport, quickly provided the answer.
Racing in Heat Three, the 34-year-old Minnesotan pushed the pace early before launching a decisive attack on the final climb. She crossed the line 5.5 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Emma Ribom, with Moa Ilar another 6.9 seconds back in third. The victory was Diggins’ 27th individual World Cup win and notably came at the same venue where she earned her first career World Cup victory in 2016. “I just wanted to have the best fast 5K of my life,” Diggins said afterward, also praising Team USA’s support staff and singling out Schumacher. “I’m just so proud of Gus. He works so hard, and it’s really fun to see him on top again.”
Diggins’ success in the new format was no anomaly. Her Tour de Ski results so far—fourth, third, and first—reflect a season of remarkable consistency as she continues to evolve as both a sprinter and a distance skier. With the victory, she strengthened her grip on the Tour standings and further separated herself from many of her main rivals.
The following day, Diggins reinforced that dominance in the 20-kilometer Classic Pursuit, traditionally one of the Tour de Ski’s most demanding races. Starting with a lead of more than a minute, she skied alone for the entire distance, steadily extending her advantage to finish 1 minute, 35 seconds ahead of Ilar and Austria’s Teresa Stadlober. “It was a long race, a lonely race,” Diggins said. “But every Tour has one day where you have to be gritty. If you want to win the Tour, you have to make it happen that day.”
Diggins completed the five-lap course in 52:14.8, an imposing performance given that her closest competitors were able to work together in chase groups behind her. The win further solidified her leads in the Overall World Cup, Distance World Cup, and Tour de Ski standings, with only two stages remaining: a Classic Sprint in Val di Fiemme and the iconic final climb up Alpe Cermis.
The Toblach victories also carried special significance. Race organizers announced that a bridge at the venue will be named in Diggins’ honor, recognizing her eight career World Cup wins there—more than any other skier. “This venue is so special to me,” Diggins said. “I feel like I’m leaving a little piece of my heart here in Toblach.”
Alongside Diggins’ success, Schumacher’s New Year’s Eve victory underscored a broader resurgence for U.S. cross-country skiing. His win earlier in the day marked a significant milestone in his career and set the tone for what became a banner day for Team USA.
With the Tour de Ski entering its final stages and the Olympic Winter Games just weeks away, Diggins appears to be peaking at exactly the right moment. For now, Team USA leaves Toblach with momentum, medals—and, in Diggins’ case, a permanent mark on one of the sport’s most storied venues.
- Related: Jessie Diggins Secures Third World Cup Overall Title & Cements Legacy in Cross-Country Skiing
