Bill Demong
Nordic Combined
1998 Olympian
2002 Olympian
2006 Olympian
2010 Olympic hopeful
Personal Specs
Height: 5'10"
Short List Performance
- 1998 Olympic Winter Games - 10th (Team), 34th (Individual)
- 2002 Olympic Winter Games - fourth (Team), 14th (Sprint), 19th (Individual)
- 2006 Ollympic Winter Games - seventh (Team), 15th (Individual), 25th (Sprint)
- 2007 World Championships silver medalist (15km individual)
- 2009 World Championships - gold (10km large hill), bronze (10km normal hill)
Vancouver Watch
Demong could be a part of history come February. He and teammates Todd Lodwick and Johnny Spillane are poised to bring home the first Olympic Nordic Combined medals in American history. It's just a matter of who will get it done first. While the trio is expected to be among the elite in the team event, Demong is also a contender in the individual sprint. Up until recently, he wasn't a big name with zero previous top 10s in his three Olympic Winter Games appearances in individual events. But Demong has won three medals at the last two World Championships to announce his presence.
Personal
Demong's father, an environmental biologist, had him on cross country skis at age 3, racing at 5 and jumping at 10. After seven years in Larry Stone's Lake Placid program, Demong made the 1998 U.S. Olympic Team at age 17. His biggest hurdle came in the form of injury, a fractured skull suffered in 2002 that held him out of the 2003 season.
When he's not on skis, Demong spends his summers cycling competitively. He also dabbles in carpentry. He's not a big fan of mainstream professional sports. Rather, he describes himself as a "Nordic nerd."
Did You Know...?
- Appears in commercials for sponsor Alka-Seltzer
- Brings peanut butter and hot sauce on the road
- Has a passion for classic rock, ice cream and elk steak
- Likes salmon fishing in Alaska
Image by Harry How/Getty Images