Last week, Kikkan Randall became a mother for the second time when her daughter Aspen Lewis was born. The American cross-country skiing star already has a son named Breck.

But it wasn’t a given that the little family would grow larger. The 41-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, has battled cancer.

Just three months after achieving her greatest athletic dream, winning Olympic gold in the team sprint in 2018, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had to undergo six rounds of chemotherapy, two surgeries, and 33 radiation treatments. This was followed by several years of hormone therapy.

But in July 2024, she became a mother for the second time.

“One week ago, Breck and I welcomed a little sister into our family, Aspen Lewis. It’s been quite a journey to bring this little one into the world but worth the wait. We are absolutely in love with her and can’t wait to share all our favorite adventures with this mountain girl,” Randall wrote on her Instagram account.

Randall is far from the only skiing star to become a parent this year. For example, Swedish national team veteran Calle Halfvarsson became a father for the second time in April, long-distance queen Lina Korsgren became a mother in May, and biathlon world champion Sebastian Samuelsson became a father in the spring.

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A Pioneer in American Cross-Country Skiing

Kikkan Randall debuted in the World Cup in 2001 and participated in her first World Championships just a few weeks later (Lahti). She made history several times in championship contexts before retiring nearly 20 years later.

However, during the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, she secured the USA’s first Olympic gold in cross-country skiing when she won the team sprint with Jessie Diggins. This was five years after she had taken the USA’s first World Championship gold in the same event with the same partner: During the 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Randall, and Jessie won gold in the team sprint.

Randall is also the first American to win an overall title in the World Cup: She won the sprint World Cup three times (2012, 2013, 2014). She has a total of 29 individual podium finishes in the World Cup, including 13 World Cup victories, three World Championship medals (2009, 2013, and 2017), and ten top-10 finishes in the Olympics (besides the 2018 gold).