Jessie Diggins stood on top of a snowy mountain in South Korea on February 21, 2018, with an Olympic gold medal around her neck. She had just done something no American woman had ever done before—won a gold medal in cross-country skiing. The moment changed her life forever.
But her story started much simpler, in a small Minnesota town where a little girl learned to love skiing just for fun.
Profile Overview
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Jessie Diggins |
| Birthday | August 26, 1991 |
| Birthplace | Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Hometown | Afton, Minnesota |
| Height | 5’6″ (168 cm) |
| Parents | Clay Diggins (father), Deb Diggins (mother) |
| Siblings | Mackenzie Diggins (younger sister) |
| Husband | Wade Poplawski (married 2022) |
| Profession | Professional Cross-Country Skier |
Parents and Early Family Life
Jessie’s parents, Clay and Deb Diggins, were both born in Canada but moved to Minnesota and raised their family there. Her mother Deb grew up near Pike Lake in Duluth and went to Proctor High School. Her father Clay was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and has a green card, making Jessie a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.
Deb and Clay met at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota. They got married on August 25, 1983, and have been together for over 40 years. They now live in Afton, Minnesota, where they raised both their daughters.
Both parents love the outdoors. Clay was already a skier before he met Deb. Deb was an alpine skier at Spirit Mountain when she was young, but Clay taught her to love cross-country skiing after they met.
The Diggins family owns and runs a Slumberland Furniture store in Red Wing, Minnesota. They bought the store from friends in 2009. Deb handles marketing and sales, while Clay worked in the corporate office before focusing on the store.
Learning to Ski as a Baby
Jessie’s skiing story began before she could even walk. Her dad Clay would put her in a backpack and ski around Minnesota trails with her on his back. Jessie says she would pull her dad’s hair and yell “faster!” like he was a sled dog.
When she was three years old, her parents officially taught her to ski through the Minnesota Youth Ski League. Every Sunday afternoon in winter, the family would go skiing together. Young Jessie loved the hot chocolate and sledding after practice just as much as the skiing.
Her mother Deb told reporters: “My parents taught me to ski! I owe everything in my career to them, not only because they taught me skiing but because they instilled a deep love of the outdoors.”
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Growing Up in Afton, Minnesota
Afton is a very small town on the rural side of Minnesota, only three miles from Afton State Park. Growing up there gave Jessie perfect training conditions—she could roller ski right from her front door.
When she was 11 years old, her parents noticed she had special talent. She was competing against high school kids and doing really well. By seventh grade, she qualified for the state high school meet. Her mom Deb said: “It became evident she had a combination of talent and drive.”
Jessie attended Stillwater Area High School and raced for their ski team. In 2008 and 2009, while still in high school, she won races at the American Birkebeiner in Wisconsin—a big deal for a teenager. By 2009, she won the U.S. Junior National Sprint title.
The town of Afton now has a street sign called “Jessie Diggins Trail” to honor her.
Sister Mackenzie
Jessie has a younger sister named Mackenzie who is five years younger. Mackenzie went to Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and got her degree in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Mackenzie is now a film director, model, singer, and stand-up comedian. Even though their careers are very different, the sisters remain close. Jessie often posts about her sister on social media.
College Decision and Going Professional
After high school, Jessie got a scholarship to Northern Michigan University. But she decided to delay going to college and try racing professionally for one year first. That year went so well that she never went back to college. She joined the U.S. Ski Team in 2011 at age 19.
This was a big risk—most athletes use college as a backup plan. But Jessie trusted her talent and her love of skiing.
Making History at the 2018 Olympics
At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Jessie and her teammate Kikkan Randall raced in the team sprint final. The race came down to the final meters. Jessie pushed herself to complete exhaustion, crossing the finish line and collapsing on the snow.
They won gold—the first Olympic gold medal ever for American cross-country skiing. The 94-year drought was over.
Her parents Clay and Deb, along with her sister Mackenzie, were in the stands watching it happen. According to Team USA coverage, this moment fulfilled a dream that started when Jessie was a baby on her father’s back.
More Success After 2018
At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Jessie won two more medals—silver in the 30km freestyle and bronze in the individual sprint. This made her the first American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.
At the 2023 World Championships, she won gold in the 10km freestyle—again, the first American to do this. She has now won seven World Championship medals total.
She also became a World Cup champion, winning the overall title three times.
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Marriage to Wade Poplawski
In April 2020, Jessie got engaged to Wade Poplawski, a Canadian who came to the United States to play ice hockey at Colgate University. They got married on June 3, 2022, at Almquist Farm.
Wade now works in finance as a Securitized Product Sales specialist at Citi bank in Boston. The couple lives between Stratton, Vermont (where Jessie trains), and South Boston, where Wade works.
Money and Career Earnings
Jessie’s exact net worth is not publicly known, but professional cross-country skiers earn money from several sources:
Prize Money: She has won over $1 million in World Cup and championship prize money during her career.
Sponsorships: She has deals with companies including L.L.Bean, Rossignol (skis), Swix (poles and wax), Craft Sportswear, and others.
Speaking and Appearances: As an Olympic gold medalist, she gets paid for speaking at events and making appearances.
Cross-country skiing doesn’t pay as much as some other sports, but Jessie has built a comfortable career doing what she loves.
Advocacy Work
Jessie speaks openly about her past struggles with an eating disorder (bulimia) and works with the Emily Program to help others. She also works with Protect Our Winters, fighting climate change that threatens winter sports.
She wants to “leave the sport better than I found it” by talking about mental health and helping the environment.
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