Nordic nationals: Demong wins pair of golds

Three-time Olympian and World Championships silver medalist Bill Demong swept both the U.S. nordic combined and large hill ski jumping gold medals Saturday as the Nature Valley U.S. Nordic Championships weekend got under way at Steamboat. Combiners swept the medals podium in each event.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — Three-time Olympian and World Championships silver medalist Bill Demong swept both the U.S. nordic combined and large-hill ski jumping gold medals Saturday as the Nature Valley U.S. Nordic Championships weekend got under way. Combiners swept the medals podium in each event.
    "Billy jumped well and then he skied well. He started with a 38-second lead over Johnny [Spillane] and Brett [Camerota], and he won by over a minute," nordic combined coach Dave Jarrett said. The first round of jumping on Howelsen Hill's 127-meter jump was used as part of the nordic combined championship, which concluded with a 7.5-kilometer race from the adjacent Romick Rodeo Arena.
    "I was a little nervous," said Demong — who arrived in Steamboat on Friday night — after collecting his fourth and fifth U.S. championships, his third combined title and second jumping crown. "I was feeling a little pressure to perform, but it all worked out nicely." Adding to the enjoyment: Demong's mother, Helen, is in Steamboat to watch her son compete.
    Following Demong in the jumping event was Brett Camerota, with Spillane as bronze medalist. Meanwhile, Spillane skied away from Camerota in the final lap of the combined race for the nordic combined silver medal, with Camerota taking that bronze.