Bill Demong pushing to the finish yesterday. Photo by Nancie Battaglia.
Bill Demong. Photo by Nancie Battaglia.
(02/26/10) Vermontville's Bill Demong gave the United States its first Olympic gold medal ever in a Nordic event as Americans posted a 1-2 finish in the Nordic Combined ski event at the Vancouver Olympics yesterday. Teammate Johnny Spillane captured the silver.
Demong surged from sixth place after the ski jump to win the 10-kilometer cross-country leg by four seconds. Bernhard Gruber of Austria, who had a head start after jumping the farthest off the large hill, took the bronze.
Demong will be flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team at the Olympic closing ceremony Sunday.
Demong and his mom Helen at the World Championships in 2009. Photo: Demong family
(12/22/09) We heard this week that biathlete Tim Burke from Paul Smiths has claimed the overall lead in the world cup rankings. Burke is part of a remarkable generation of athletes who grew up in the Adirondacks, competing and training together. At least nine North Country skiers, sledders and skaters are expected to compete this winter at the Vancouver Olympics. This morning, we profile another top North Country racer, Bill Demong from Vermontville. As Brian Mann reports, Demong's career has been shaped by a winter culture that cherished the outdoors and embraced Lake Placid's Olympic tradition.
Bill Demong from Vermontville sails over the Italian Alps (N. Battaglia)
Demong advances five slots during the ski portion of the nordic combined.
(02/21/06) The Olympics continue today in Italy. Vermontville native Bill Demong competed Tuesday in the Nordic combined, an event that combines ski jumping with cross-country racing. He finished 25th in a field of 49 racers. Brian Mann caught up with Bill's mother Helen while the race was still underway.
