The Nordic Combined has been an Olympic event since the 1924 Olympics in France (the first ever Winter Olympiad). This means there have been 20 Olympic Games, prior to this year, where the Americans could have won a medal in this event, and had failed to do so.
Currently, the Olympics has three Nordic Combined events: individual normal hill, individual large hill, and team event. The team event consists of four-man teams, a combined score for the ski jumping leg, and then a relay for the cross country portion of it.
This year, however, the Americans finally broke through...and broke through in a big way!
On Sunday the 14th, the U.S. got its first ever Nordic Combined Medal, when Johnny Spillane held on during the final sprint in the cross country race to win a silver medal in the Individual Normal Hill event (pictured here).
On Tuesday this week (the 23rd), the team event took place. The U.S. Team (comprised of Spillane, Bill Demong (who took 6th in the ind normal hill event), Todd Lodwick (who took 4th in the ind. normal hill event), and Brett Camerota) once again took silver, a mere 5 seconds behind the Austrian team. The final U.S. skiier stumbled just a little on the final downhill turn, and the Austrian team pulled into the lead to win the gold. But still, for the U.S. team to win silver was another monumental feat.
Today was the final Nordic Combined event, the individual large hill. And, finally, after an Olympics filled with historic silver for the U.S. team, they were finally able to break through for gold. Bill Demong (seen flying through the air below), edged out teammate Johnny Spillane to win America's first ever Nordic Combined gold medal. As a matter of fact, is was the U.S.'s first ever gold medal in any of the nordic events.
Johnny Spillane held on to win his third silver medal of the games as well (the finish of the race with Demong ahead of Spillane at the finish is pictured below), giving the U.S. an amazing 4 medals (out of a possible 9) in this year's nordic combined events.
Sadly, this monumental achievement by our Nordic Combined team has gone largely unreported (although, maybe it'll pick up some steam after going 1-2 in the ind. large hill event). So I feel the need to give them their due. So, to the men of the U.S. Nordic Combined Team, congratulations on an amazing Winter Olympics. Hopefully this will be remembered as the beginning of an amazing American surge in the sport!
2 comments:
Another fact I heard today: Spillane's 3 nordic medals is the first time anyone has won 3 medals in nordic events in a single olymplcs!
He has quite the collection of silver! That's pretty awesome. The U.S. team kinda dominated Nordic Combined this year.
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