US cross-country ski team marks successful world champs

LAHTI, Finland (AP) Think of a U.S. skiing medal contender for the Winter Olympics and Lindsey Vonn or Bode Miller flying down the side of a mountain often come to mind. But now a tight-knit team is showing the United States can succeed in the grueling world of cross-country skiing too.

The U.S. women's cross-country ski team has marked its most successful world championships in Finland with three medals from six events, raising hopes ahead of the 2018 Olympics.

While the team couldn't end the championships with a medal in Saturday's 30-kilometer freestyle race, fifth place for Minnesota-born Jessica Diggins was another record-high finish for the U.S.

Diggins finished the championships with silver in the individual sprint and bronze in the team sprint, the latter honor remarkable because the race was strictly in classic style. This tends to favor European skiers, rather than the skate-skiing style which is the U.S. specialty.

Until eight years ago, the U.S. women's team had never won a cross-country medal at the world championships, but now it's a contender in almost every race.

Kikkan Randall, the pioneering U.S. medalist back in 2009, has mentored a new generation including Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen, who won bronze alongside Diggins in the team sprint. It's a change from the days when Randall was the only standout U.S. cross-country skier.

''Before, I wished for teammates,'' the 34-year-old Randall, who won individual sprint bronze last week, told The Associated Press. ''Now it's a challenge just to make our relay (team), everybody's skiing so fast.''

It's a success created in the wilds of Alaska, where the U.S. team often trains at Eagle Glacier, a spartan base reached by helicopter. Training and competing together year-round has forged a tight bond. Diggins says she considers her teammates her ''big sisters.''

Historically, however, the Olympics have been a stumbling block for U.S. cross-country skiers. Randall was hotly favored for a sprint medal in 2014, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. A silver medalist in 1976, Bill Koch was much hyped ahead of the 1980 games in Lake Placid, but also failed to medal.

This time round the U.S. has new strength in depth as a team. Randall, who plans to retire after the PyeongChang Olympics, is aiming for a medal in one of the two team events.

''With the success we've had here,'' she said, ''I'm really excited about our chances next year.''