Bill Demong

William Demong (born March 29, 1980 in Vermontville, New York) is an American former Nordic combined skier and Olympic gold medalist. Demong is a five-time Olympian, having competed in Nagano, Salt Lake City, Torino, Vancouver and Sochi.

Bill Demong
Demong at a press conference after his victory in the 10 km individual large hill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Demong
BornMarch 29, 1980 (1980-03-29) (age 40)
Saranac Lake, New York, U.S.
Medal record
Men's nordic combined
Representing the  United States
Winter Olympics
2010 Vancouver 10 km large hill
2010 Vancouver 4x5 km team
World Championships
2009 Liberec10 km large hill
2007 Sapporo15 km gundersen
2009 Liberec10 km normal hill
2013 Val di Flemme Team normal hill

Career

Demong competed at the World Cup level starting in 1997.

His first World Cup victory came in 2002 in (Liberec, Czech Republic). Two more in 2007, (Lahti, Finland: March 9;[1] Trondheim, Norway: December 8). He also has three victories in World Cup B events in the United States in 2004 and 2005 as well. In the 2008 season Bill had one victory in Ramsau am Dachstein in the 2008 season but his first real banner year occurred in 2009 when Bill racked up five World Cup victories and took third in the overall World Cup standings. Heading into the 2009–2010 season, Demong had nine World Cup victories and numerous top-tens.

At the 2002 Winter Olympics, in Salt Lake City, Demong placed fourth in the 4 × 5 km team event and 14th in the 7.5 km event.

Demong won a complete set of medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships with a gold (10 km individual large hill: 2009), a silver (15 km individual: 2007), and a bronze (10 km individual normal hill: 2009).

Demong retired in 2015.[2]

2010 Winter Olympics
Bill Demong skating to victory in the 10 km individual large hill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics
See also: Nordic combined at the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics

Demong skied the final lap for the United States team consisting of Johnny Spillane, Todd Lodwick and Brett Camerota in the team large hill/4x5 km, winning the silver medal.[3]

In the 10 km individual large hill, Demong won gold.[4] Demong is the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in a nordic event.[5]

After the medal ceremony held later that evening for the 10 km individual large hill event, Demong proposed to his girlfriend, Katie Koczynski, in front of teammates and coaches at the team headquarters near Vancouver.[6] Koczynski said yes.[6] Also on that same day, Demong found out he was named the flagbearer for the American team at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 28.[6] It was Demong's teammate, Spillane, who gave Demong the courage to propose to his future wife.[6] Demong and his fiancée discussed how this happened on NBC's Today show the following morning.[7] On July 11, 2010, Demong married Koczynski in Lake Placid, New York.[8]

Personal life

Demong learned to jump through the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF). He attended the National Sports Academy National Sports Academy (Lake Placid, New York) during high school, and competed in the Nagano Olympics during his senior year.

In 2009, Demong began appearing in Alka-Seltzer Plus television commercials as part of the medication's sponsorship of the U.S. Ski Team.

His mother is a Korean-American retired chorus teacher from Saranac Lake High School.[9]

References
  1. Walker, Lee (March 9, 2007). "Speed DeMong wins at Lahti". Eurosport.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  2. "Retirement party for Bill Demong". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. July 13, 2015.
  3. Christa Case Bryant (February 23, 2010). "US Nordic combined team wins historic silver at Vancouver Olympics". The Christian Science Monitor.
  4. "Individual large hill results". February 25, 2010.
  5. Erik Matuszewski (February 25, 2010). "Demong Wins First Nordic Combined Gold Medal for U.S." Bloomberg.
  6. "Hours after gold medal, U.S. skier proposes to girlfriend". – Chris Chase Yahoo! Sports February 26, 2010 article Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  7. "Olympic rings to engagement ring for skier". – Mike Celizic msnbc.com Today February 26, 2010 article Retrieved February 27, 2010.
  8. "Katie Koczynski and Bill Demong". The New York Times. July 10, 2010.
  9. Lewis, Randy (November 2, 2011). "Helen Demong: an Adirondack woman who opens doors". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
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