Billy Demong with his 2010 Olympic Winter Games Nordic Combined Large Hill gold medal and Nordic Combined Team Event silver medal.
Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) secured the USA’s first-ever nordic combined gold medal in the large hill competition, with teammate Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) finishing four seconds behind for his third Olympic silver in Whistler Olympic Park.
The U.S. Nordic Combined Ski Team made history at these Games, winning silver for its first-ever medal in the team relay. Anchor leg Billy Demong held the lead with little more than a kilometer to go, but Austria's Mario Stecher out-sprinted him to victory. "This is the greatest moment in nordic combined history for the USA," said Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO). "All three of us are psyched to be here. We're psyched to be here as a team. We've persevered over the last 10 years to get to this point. We feel like we've earned this silver medal and this spot in history."
Photo: Tom Kelly/U.S. Ski Team