Meet the Olympic cross-country skiers behind Team USA's historic win

Team USA made history by bringing home America’s first gold for cross-country skiing in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall beat Sweden by 19-hundredths of a second in the women’s team sprint in Pyeongchang.

The pair joined “CBS This Morning” to discuss the first time they met, how they prepared for the competition and what they hope their win can do for the sport in the U.S. 

Randall said winning the gold was even better than she’d imagined.

“I mean, we’ve been looking forward to this and the cross-country team for a long, long time. We’ve known it’s possible, but to finally put it together and get that validation for all our programs we been working for, to be able to represent our team, it’s a dream come true,” Randall said.

But they were still very much intimidated going into the competition knowing they were facing some fierce opponents, including the Swedish team that nearly beat them.   

“I mean, you know when your body feels invincible, when you’re in the best shape of your life and you just have to go for it,” Diggins said.

How did they prepare for the big race? After all the training came glitter and “Glee.”

“We had a great day together leading into the race, just created a really good vibe. Our teammates were with us throughout the day. We watched our favorite ‘Glee’ clips before the race. We pulled on our relay socks, which had became a tradition, and Jessie did the face paint and glitter,” Randall said.

What’s even more exciting about the win for Diggins is the possibility of bringing the sport back home.

“Bringing the World Cup back here would be the coolest thing because it would really inspire the next generation and show them that, yes, it is possible and we’ve known for a long time it’s possible, but being able to bring the gold medals back and share that with everyone and then get everyone to see the World Cup right there,” Diggins said.

The two met when Diggins was just 16 years old and aspiring to be like her more seasoned future teammate Randall.

“I saw this little ponytail come skiing down the trail. I had no idea who she was but I immediately recognized she had the right energy and I thought, that girl is going to be good someday,” Randall said. “I didn’t know three years later she would be on the world championship team with me and I never envisioned that we’d be teaming up to win a gold medal for Team USA.”