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

Jessie Diggins, a cross-country ski racer and gold medalist, finished her first race in 6th place and her grandmother watched it all at her home in Casa Grande.

BEIJING, China — Jessie Diggins fell to the ground right after crossing the finish line in the women's cross country opener Saturday at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Diggins finished sixth in the women's 15k skiathlon and while exhausted, she still left the event full of pride. 

"My biggest goal is always to finish with nothing left in the tank, and I did that and I was really, really proud of that because that's how you feel good about the races," Diggins told Olympics.com. 

One person who is sure to be beaming with pride is Diggins grandmother in Arizona.

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Betty Santa, who lives in Casa Grande, plans on watching every event Diggins competes in at the Winter Olympics.

"I'm so excited, I wish we could've gone but you things happen, of course, but Jessie, her hard work and perseverance has made her a shining star," Santa said.

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

Diggins missed the gold medal by 50.5 secs and missed the podium by 20 secs. Therese Johaug of Norway won gold in the event.

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However, even after an exhausting first race, Diggins still has five more events to go in Beijing. Starting back up on Tuesday, Feb. 8, Diggins will compete in the sprint freestyle, 10km classical, 4x5km women's relay, team sprint, and 30km mass start.

RELATED: Here's who won the first gold medal at the 2022 Olympics

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