Olympian Jessie Diggins explains what makes cross-country skiing a surprisingly brutal sport

Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

• Cross-country skiing might seem easy, since it's a sport anyone can pick up. 
• But at the Olympic level, it's a brutally exhausting event. 
• US Olympian Jessie Diggins, who's competing at the Winter Olympics, spoke to INSIDER about the sport. 
• "It's really aggressive because, unlike track or swimming, you don't have to stay in your own lane," she said.

For an average person, cross-country skiing is a pleasant way to spend a winter afternoon. For an Olympian, cross-country skiing is a punishing test of strength and endurance. 

But American skier Jessie Diggins — who's currently competing in Pyeongchang 2018 — promises that it's fun, too.See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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