Kikkan Randall and Jesse Diggions winning the U.S. women’s cross-country medal was one of my favorite moments.

Kikkan Randall, Jesse Diggins win U.S. women’s first cross-country medal - The Washington Post

Diggins crossed the line 0.19 seconds before Nilsson, so close Randall could not be sure who won until she looked at a scoreboard above the grandstand. It showed a “1” next to “United States.”

Diggins could not feel her legs, numb from the frenzied, indelible sprint she had just completed. Randall screamed, ran to Diggins and tackled her.

“Oh my gosh!” Diggins cried. “Did we just win the Olympics?”

“Yeaaahhh!” Randall shouted back.

One of my favorite moments of this PyeongChang Olympics. I recall reading an article in Outside magazine about Kikkan Randall, impressive athlete and she sounds like a terrific teammate as well.

But Randall’s Olympic disappointment still stings. I asked her about it as she was getting her hair re-pinked—a monthly process—and for once I see a crack in her happy demeanor. “It was frustrating,” she says, wiping a tear from her cheek. “I’ll have one more shot in Korea in 2018. Then I’ll retire.”

Now she’s beyond the disappointment and frustration and has a gold medal around her neck. Ride of into the sunset victorius, Kikkanimal.