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Watch: Olympian wins first Team USA sprint medal in cross-country skiing

Diggins, whose grandmother lives in Casa Grande, is bringing home the bronze medal in the women's individual sprint at the Winter Olympics in Beijing
Credit: AP
Jessie Diggins competes during the women's sprint free cross-country skiing competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

BEIJING, China β€” Editor's note: The above video aired during a previous broadcast.

Calm, cool and collected. 

That's how anyone who watched cross-country skier Jessie Diggins in the women's individual sprint could describe her bronze-winning Winter Olympics performance early Tuesday morning.

The Olympian stayed poised during the semi-finals in Beijing when she almost fumbled her skis and used that same composure to get her through the finals, where she became the first woman ever to secure Team USA a medal in the individual cross-country sprint.

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Diggins has said that she always gives her all in races and crosses every finish line with nothing left. 

That grit and effort showed Tuesday. 

WATCH: America's Jessie Diggins smashes women's sprint for bronze

RELATED: 'A shining star': Grandma Betty in Casa Grande excited to watch granddaughter in Winter Olympics

Diggins finished with a final time of 3:12.84. Reigning world champion in the women's individual sprint Jonna Sundling of Sweden took gold with 3:09.68 and her Swedish teammate Maja Dahlqvist won silver with a time of 3:12.56.

In the second half of the semi-finals race, Diggins didn't panic when she nearly had a disaster with her skis and clinched her spot in the finals. Read more of how Diggins' record-setting performance went on NBCOlympics.com.

>> 12 News is your local source for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

RELATED: Casa Grande grandmother watched at home as granddaughter Jessie Diggins placed 6th in Olympic skiing

Diggins isn't new to being a first. 

In the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Diggins became the first person to win Olympic gold medal for the United States in cross-country skiing. 

She also was the first American to win the FIS Tour de Ski and the first American woman to win the overall and distance World Cup titles.

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