1.1A Senate resolution
1.2congratulating Jessie Diggins of Afton, Minnesota, on winning an Olympic gold medal
1.3in cross-country skiing.
1.4WHEREAS, Jessie Diggins had high hopes of winning a medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang
1.5Olympic Games and had finished in the top six in each of her four Olympic events before the sprint
1.6relay and missed a medal in the 10-kilometer freestyle by only 3.3 seconds; and
1.7WHEREAS, Jessie finished fifth in the women's skiathlon, the highest Olympic finish to
1.8that point for a woman from the United States; sixth in the sprint; and fifth with a 3.3-second miss
1.9in the 10-kilometer race; and
1.10WHEREAS, on February 21, 2018, Jessie and Kikkan Randall won the women's team sprint
1.11freestyle race in Pyeongchang, outsprinting more-heralded teams from Sweden and Norway to
1.12become the first Americans to win an Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing; and
1.13WHEREAS, under the lights on a chilly but calm night at Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing
1.14Center, Jessie exited the final hill in third place on the winding up-and-down track and took a
1.15massive risk, as she gambled on the widest of turns at nearly 30 miles per hour, momentarily drifting
1.16outside the track to create the space she needed to dart ahead of Maiken Falla of Norway; and
1.17WHEREAS, in the final straightaway Jessie chased down Stina Nilsson of Sweden and
1.18outstretched her at the finish to win by 19 hundredths of a second; and
1.19WHEREAS, the Americans' winning time of 15:56.47 in the final was a 26-second
1.20improvement on their semifinal heat, which they won with a time of 16:22.56; and
1.21WHEREAS, the skiers are the first American cross-country skiers to medal at the Olympics
1.22since Bill Koch took home a silver in 1976 and the first American women to medal in cross-country
1.23skiing, an outstanding accomplishment deserving of special legislative recognition; and
2.1WHEREAS, Jessie also received the honor of carrying the United States flag during the
2.2closing ceremony; and
2.3NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it
2.4congratulates Jessie Diggins of Afton on winning an Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing.
2.5BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an
2.6enrolled copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the
2.7Chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, and transmit it to Jessie Diggins.

Cal R. LudemanSecretary of the Senate

Paul E. GazelkaChair, Senate Committee onRules and Administration

Karin HousleyState Senator, District 39