It was a dramatic Thanksgiving weekend of highs and lows for Team USA. 

Diggins with 20K in Ruka (FIN)

In FIS Cross-Country skiing, American legend Jessie Diggins delivered an outstanding performance at the season-opening World Cup in Ruka, Finland, winning the 20-kilometer freestyle mass start race. She overcame a 13-second deficit in the final kilometer to edge out Sweden’s Jonna Sundling by just 0.3 seconds, finishing in 51:19.3. Norway’s Heidi Weng rounded out the podium in 3^rd place (+2.5).

Shiffrin crashes in Saturday’s giant slalom, Hector takes Podium

In a shocking turn of events, race favorite Mikaela Shiffrin suffered a dramatic crash during Saturday’s opening giant slalom race in Killington, VT, somersaulting and crashing airborne into the safety netting halfway down her run. She was taken down the slope via sled and transported to a medical center for evaluation. With Shiffrin out of the race, Saturday’s giant slalom saw Sara Hector claiming the top podium spot with a combined time of 1:53.08. Zrinka Ljutic from Croatia finished second, and Camille Rast from Switzerland secured third place.

Shiffrin reported via social media Saturday night that she had suffered a deep puncture wound in her right abdomen and severe muscle trauma. Fortunately, there is no considerable damage to her bones, ligaments, or internal organs. She will miss the next scheduled races in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on December 14-15, and there is no definite timeline for her return to competition. Despite the setback, Shiffrin remains positive and has expressed gratitude for the support from her fans.

Rast wins first World Cup

Camille Rast of Switzerland claims her first World Cup victory on Sunday’s slalom races. Rast finished with a combined time of 1:46.87, edging out Anna Swenn Larsson of Sweden and Wendy Holdener of Switzerland, who both tied for second place. Holdener made an impressive comeback from ninth place after the first run. Rast’s win marks a significant milestone in her career, and it was the first time in 28 years that two Swiss women finished on the podium together.

Next Stop Beaver Creek

Races scheduled for the weekend of the 7^th and 8^th in Tremblant, Canada, were canceled due to a lack of snow. The next stop for the women is Beaver Creek, CO, on the 14th and 15th, where the downhill and super-G races will take place on the famed Birds of Prey course.