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Olympic Names In The News: Diggins To Carry Flag At Closing Ceremony

Diggins' hometown of Afton, Minn., will have a citywide celebration in honor of her winning a Gold MedalGetty Images

Cross country skier Jessie Diggins has been "chosen as the U.S. flagbearer" for Sunday's Closing Ceremony. Diggins teamed with Kikkan Randall to win the Gold Medal in the cross country team sprint on Wednesday, "becoming the first American women to ever earn an Olympic medal" in the sport. The U.S. flagbearers are "chosen by an athlete vote" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 2/23). Diggins said, "In my wildest dreams, I don't think I could have imagined all of this, for sure. It's been so much to process in the last 48 hours. It's been overwhelming in the very best way and it's really been a dream come true" ("Today," NBC, 2/23). Meanwhile, Diggins' hometown of Afton, Minn., will have a "citywide celebration" honoring her accomplishment. It will "declare a 'Jessie Diggins Day' once a date can be arranged." Dozens of yard signs that say "Afton Cheers for Jessie Diggins -- Go for the Nordic Gold" have "sprung up around the city of 3,000 since the start of the Olympics" (TWINCITIES.com, 2/21).

COMEBACK STORY: NBC's Mike Tirico profiled Burton Snowboard Founder Jake Burton, whose products have been used in the Pyeongchang Games by high-profile athletes like Shaun White and Chloe Kim. Burton was diagnosed with Miller Fisher syndrome in '15 and said, "I had a ton of fear through the process. I just saw no end in sight. I just didn't see how I was ever going to get better. ... The low point was talking to my kids about suicide." Tirico noted after six weeks "in the hospital confined to a ventilator in bed, Burton spent two months in rehab ... determined to find his way back on a board." Burton: "The perseverance that I had to start Burton and do my role in getting snowboarding off the ground was very similar to the process of recovering from that terrible disease" ("Winter Olympics," NBCSN, 2/23).

GOOD FOR BUSINESS: U.S. freestyle skier David Wise, who won Gold in the men's halfpipe at this year's Games, has been using "graphite composite ski poles" made by Baltimore-based Zipline Ski. Zipline's ski poles, goggles and other gear have been used during the Games by "skiers from the U.S., Norway, Finland and Germany." But Wise was the "only Zipline athlete favored to win" a Gold Medal. Zipline President Chuck Heidenreich said, "To be able to say that our product is being used by an Olympic gold medalist can really help boost our brand image and expand us into other categories of skiing" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 2/22).

DO YOU BELIEVE? The hockey stick that U.S. hockey team captain Mike Eruzione "used to score the winning goal against the Soviet team" in the '80 Lake Placid Games was "sold to a private collector" on Thursday -- the day that marked the 38th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice -- for $290,000. The deal was "brokered by" California-based SCP Auctions (ESPN.com, 2/22).

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