Olympics-Crosscountry-Diggins glitters up for final Games with lucky throwback

By Liz Hampton

TESERO, Italy, Feb 6 (Reuters) – U.S. cross-country skier Jessie Diggins is not just known for her gritty performances and impressive record, she has also turned her sport into a glittery, sparkly affair. 

Now, as a finishing touch for her final Olympic appearance, Diggins will dab some glitter on herself as she heads for the start line one last time at the Milano Cortina Games.

When the American lines up on Saturday for the women’s skiathlon, she will adorn her hair with the same sparkly red, white and blue tinsel she wore when she clinched the first-ever U.S. cross-country gold medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

“I saved the original pack of hair tinsel from 2018 and I’m going to put some in my hair now and race these games with it because I think it’s a fun nod to all of the amazing teammates I have had and all of the people who have been a part of my career and helped pave the path for this generation,” she said in a video posted on Instagram.

This will be the fourth and final Olympics for Diggins, who has become the most decorated cross-country skier in America’s history and helped elevate the country’s profile against the typically dominant Nordic countries.

Diggins has become known for rubbing glitter on her cheeks before competitions – something she does to remind herself to have fun with the sport. The trend caught on, and now all over America, young cross-country skiers can be seen wearing glitter before races. 

In the 2014 Olympics, she dyed her hair red, white and blue, which she called “very fun but very permanent” in the Instagram video. She used hair glitter in the following two Olympic Games. 

“Let’s glitter up,” she said at the end of the video, giving her freshly tinseled hair a shake.

(Reporting by Liz Hampton in Tesero; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)