PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — A pair of American women ended one of the longest droughts in Olympic sports for the United States.
Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins won gold in the women’s team sprint freestyle race, defeating more heralded teams from Sweden and Norway.
They are the first American cross-country skiers to win a medal at the Olympics since Bill Koch took home a silver in 1976, 15,367 days ago.
The win was especially sweet for Diggins. She has finished in the top six in every one of her four Olympic events thus far. She missed a medal in the 10 kilometer freestyle last week by 3.