Two days after having to endure the guilt of disqualifying the U.S. in nordic combined’s four-man team event at the world nordic ski championships because of a freakish rules violation, Billy Demong was their hero today.
Demong won a gold medal in the final nordic combined event at the world championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, the fourth medal in combined for the U.S. there. Todd Lodwick of Steamboat Springs won two gold medals last weekend and Demong, who is from Vermontville, N.Y., joined him on the podium last Sunday with a bronze medal. The only previous world championships gold medal for the U.S. was won by Steamboat native Johnny Spillane in 2003.
This year the U.S. nordic combined skiers won every world championships event except for the team competition Thursday when Demong disqualified them for losing his bib number. Demong had tucked it into his jumping suit to keep it dry on a ski lift and couldn’t find it when it was time to jump. Later he discovered it had slipped all the way down his suit.
“I felt devastated that I let my teammates down like that,” Demong said.
Demong said his teammates — Lodwick, Spillane and Eric Camerota — were quick to forgive him even though the team event was the title they most coveted and his mistake may have cost them medals.
“I really owe it to those guys that today I was able to just focus on the task at hand, stay in the moment and go for it,” Demong said. “That’s more of a test of team spirit and team strength and maturity than winning the medal.”
Six years ago the U.S. had never won a nordic combined medal at the world championships. Now they have six, with hopes of winning their first Olympic medals next year in Vancouver. Lodwick won his medals after a two-year hiatus from the sport and Demong once missed an entire season because of a head injury.
“It’s such a great atmosphere right now,” Demong said. “Todd is a fantastic champion and his comeback is so fulfilled now. Obviously we have next year and that’s an even bigger goal, but we’re off to such a great start.”
Demong previously won a silver medal at the 2007 world championships.
“I really wanted a gold medal and I woke up this morning with that in mind,” Demong said. “Obviously you do what it takes to get there, and that’s not thinking about it, but I couldn’t have ended on a better note, and I’m really pleased to help finish off a historic world championships for the United States.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
