American cross-country skier Jessie Diggins BLOODIED after taking a ski pole to the face during a World Cup race… but she fought back to take second place!

Jessie Diggins almost suffered disaster in the final kilometer of an FIS World Cup race in Finland, but managed to finish on the podium after being severed by a ski pole.

Diggins was neck-and-neck with American teammate Rosie Brennan when she lost her right ski pole and glove in the closing stages of a 20km freestyle race in Ruka, Finland, on Sunday.

While being handed a replacement pole, Diggins was struck in the face by the handle, leading to a cut near her lips.

Bloodied, Diggins dug deep and was able to climb back through the pack and claim a second place finish.

She finished just three-tenths of a second behind winner Moa Ilar of Sweden – who claimed her first win on the World Cup circuit – while Brennan took third place.

On social media, a light-hearted Diggins reflected on the final moments in the grueling conditions – where temperatures were near zero during the race near the Arctic Circle.

“I finished the race with a bloody face, a spare pole, no glove and no feeling in my hand or legs,” Diggins wrote on Instagram.

“That was one that really took my time, and I can’t thank my team and the FIS team enough for looking after me afterwards!”

The 32-year-old Minnesota native is the most successful American in the sport, having won three Olympic medals and six World Cup medals over the course of her career.

Diggins became the first American to win a gold medal in cross-country skiing when she and teammate Kikkan Randall won the team sprint event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Diggins won a silver medal in the 30 km freestyle and bronze in the individual sprint.

She won gold at the FIS World Championships in 2013 for the team sprint and in 2023 for the 10 km freestyle.