Meet our own Winter Olympics cover girl: Sports Illustrated highlights Afton's Jessie Diggins

Jan. 20—Afton native Jessie Diggins became a national hero at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, partnering with longtime teammate Kikkan Randall to win a gold medal. It was Team USA's first Olympic gold medal in cross country skiing.

Since then, Diggins has continued to compete at a high level on the international stage, winning the prestigious Tour de Ski last year, and capturing the overall title of the FIS Cross-Country Ski World Cup.

Now, as the 30-year-old prepares for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing next month, she understands the expectations are much higher than last time. She talks about how she's handling that in a recent cover story published by Sports Illustrated.

That cover story is part of Sports Illustrated's iconic Winter Olympics Preview issue, which highlights Diggins and fellow Team USA athletes Mikaela Shiffrin (alpine skiing) Erin Jackson (speed skating) and Abby Roque (hockey).

Each athlete has her own cover story published by Sports Illustrated with their respective image featured prominently on the front of the magazine.