Olympic Gold Medalist, Jessie Diggins, to Attend Youth Enrichment Services (YES) 12th Annual Black Diamond Gala
Three-Time Olympic Medalist and 2023 World Champion, Jessie Diggins, will be attending the 12th Annual Black Diamond Gala on Thursday, April 20 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.
Jessie has been dominating the world of Cross-Country Skiing for over ten years. At just 20 years old, she was the youngest woman to finish top-five in a World Cup distance race. The following year in 2013, she become the youngest American World Champion and the first U.S. Woman to win a Championship title alongside her teammate Kikkan Randall. At 22, Jessie won silver at the U-23 World Championships and went on to finish 8th at the Olympic Games in Sochi – tying the best-ever placement by an American woman at an Olympic Games in a distance event.
During the 2015 season, Jessie ended a 33-year drought in championship level distance medals for Team USA by winning the silver medal at the World Championships in 10kmskate. The following season, she became the first American Woman to win a modern distance World Cup in the 5km skate individual race. In 2016-17, Jessie won 5 World Cup medals and added both silver and bronze medals at the 2017 World Championships.
At the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Jessie and her teammate Kikkan Randall became the first-ever American cross-country skiers to capture a gold medal in the Olympics. During the 2020-21 season, she became the first American to win the grueling Tour de Ski. She returned to the Olympics in 2022 in Beijing, winning both silver and bronze medals, making her the most decorated American cross-country skier in history.
In 2023, she added yet another ‘first ever’ to her growing list, becoming the first American to win an individual World Championship gold medal. Jessie is now a 14x World Cup winner, 6x World Championship medalist, 3x Olympian and 3x Olympic medalist, and the reigning World Champion.
The World Cup Dreams Foundation (WCDF) has invited six Olympic and World Cup athletes to attend the YES Black Diamond Gala on Thursday, April 20. Read more about them below!
Drew Duffy
Drew Duffy is a former member of the US Ski Team and beneficiary of World Cup Dreams / T2 Foundation. He is a US National Super G Champion and a graduate of Dartmouth college, who would not have been able to accomplish his athletic goals without the help of WCDF & T2.
Julia Ford
Julia Ford is a former American Alpine US Ski Team member who competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Julia Ford is known for her positive attitude and dedication to skiing. She has faced many challenges in her career, including injuries and setbacks, but she has always remained focused on her goals. She has inspired many young skiers and currently leads the Cardigan Mountain School as the Director of Skiing.
Patrick Kenney
Patrick Kenney is a current independent Alpine athlete competing on the World Cup circuit, and the World Cup Dreams Foundation bridges his funding gap. He recently graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he skied all four years before earning a start position on the World Cup circuit.
He is currently trying to make the U.S. Ski Team to further his career and development.
Alice Merryweather
Alice Merryweather is a current women’s U.S. World Cup Speed Team member. She attended the Stratton Mountain School. In 2015, she joined the U.S. Ski Team and began competing in the World Cup circuit.
Merryweather made her Olympic debut at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where she competed in the women’s downhill and super-G events.
In addition to her Olympic appearances, Merryweather has had several top-ten finishes in World Cup races. In 2019, her best World Cup finish is sixth place in Lake Louise, Canada.
Off the slopes, she is known for her passion for environmental conservation and advocacy.
Nina O’Brien
Nina O’Brien is a current member of the Women’s World Cup Tech Team. She is a two-time Olympian, 2018 &2022 and has won seven National Championships. During the 2022 Beijing Olympics she had horrific crash, where she broke her leg and has made an incredible comeback, where WCDF/T2 has supported her financial needs through the injury leading her to a successful comeback.
Currently she is studying at Dartmouth College.
George Steffey
George Steffey competes on the World Cup circuit as an independent ski racer, and the World Cup Dreams Foundation bridges his funding gap. This past season has been his most successful year, and he has met the US Ski Team’s objective criteria for the 2023/2024 roster.
Off the slopes, he is studying at Dartmouth College.
More information, tickets, and sponsorships for the YES Black Diamond Gala on Thursday, April 20 can be found at www.yeskids.org/Gala2023.