Bobblehead of decorated Vermont skier Jessie Diggins unveiled
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Wisconsin unveiled the first bobblehead of Olympic cross-country skier Jessie Diggins on Aug. 25.
Diggins, a Vermont nativefrom Stratton, is the most decorated American cross-country skier of all time. The bobblehead is being released in conjunction with her 32nd birthday.. The special edition bobblehead is being produced in conjunction with Diggins.
Decked in a blue ski suit with green bib No. 14, sports glasses, and a blue headband adorned with the U.S. flag, the Diggins bobblehead is holding her poles aloft in triumph as she crosses the finish line. The bobblehead base includes replicas of three medals and reads “HERE COMES DIGGINS!”.
Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,018 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s online store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in December, are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
A Minnesota native who was born in Saint Paul and grew up in Afton, Diggins began skiing at the age of 4 and has appeared in three Olympic Games. In her second appearance in 2018 in South Korea, Diggins and teammate Kikkan Randall won the United States’ first-ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympic in the team sprint. In the thrilling final sprint, Diggins passed the previous two individual sprint classical gold medalists – Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway before the last turn and then Stina Nilsson of Sweden on the last straightaway. It was the first American cross-country skiing medal since Bill Koch won silver in the men’s 30K in 1976.
Diggins competed in all six women’s cross-country skiing events and finished in the top 10 in all of them. At the end of the Games, she was the flag bearer for the United States in the closing ceremony. As Diggins approached the finish line, announcer Chad Salmela jubilantly called out “Here comes Diggins!” at the end of the stunning victory. Diggins now resides in Vermont, where she trains.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Diggins won the silver medal in the 30K freestyle and the bronze medal in the individual sprint to become the first American to win an individual Olympic medal in a cross-country sprint. Diggins left Beijing as the most decorated American cross-country skier of all time. She also finished in the top 10 in all six women’s cross-country skiing events for the second straight Olympics.
Diggins made her Olympics debut in 2014 in Sochi and had a best finish of eighth in the 15K skiathlon.
Diggins has also experienced considerable success outside the Winter Olympics. At the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2023 in Slovenia, Diggins and teammate Julie Kern won bronze in the team sprint. Two days later, Diggins won gold in the 10K Freestyle, which was the first top medal for an American in an individual event at any cross-country skiing world championship. In 2021, Diggins clinched the top spot in the women’s overall standings for the 2020-21 FIS Cross-Country World Cup, becoming the first American to do so. In 2022, she broke the American record for World Cup cross-country ski wins with her 14th such win.
“We are excited to unveil the first bobblehead of Jessie Diggins!” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Jessie’s world-class performances have made the country very proud, and we think fans of Jessie and skiing will love this limited edition bobblehead.”
