ZHANGJIAKOU, China — Jessie Diggins knew she couldn't escape the expectations. Never mind that the team sprint at the Beijing Olympics would be raced in a different technique, at a different altitude, on different snow, with a different partner.
When it was over, the outcome was different, too.
Four years after winning Olympic gold in the freestyle team sprint, Diggins paired up with Rosie Brennan for a fifth-place finish in Wednesday's classic team sprint. Germany, Sweden and Russia took the medals this time, pulling away on the final leg of the six-lap, tag-team event in the mountains of Zhangjiakou.
