Bill Demong
{{Short description|US Nordic combined skier}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Bill Demong
| image = Bill Demong at 2010 Winter Olympics 2010-02-27 2.jpg
| caption = Demong at a press conference after his victory in the 10 km individual large hill event at the 2010 Winter Olympics
| fullname = William Demong
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|March 29, 1980}}
| birth_place = Saranac Lake, New York, U.S.
| headercolor = lightsteelblue
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's nordic combined}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{Flagu|United States}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|Winter Olympics}}
{{MedalGold|2010 Vancouver | 10 km large hill}}
{{MedalSilver|2010 Vancouver | 4x5 km team}}
{{MedalWorldChampionships}}
{{MedalGold|2009 Liberec|10 km large hill}}
{{MedalSilver|2007 Sapporo|15 km gundersen}}
{{MedalBronze|2009 Liberec|10 km normal hill}}
{{MedalBronze | 2013 Val di Flemme | Team normal hill}}
}}
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.
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;{{Cite web|url=http://www.eurosport.com/nordiccombinedskii/lahti/2006-2007/sport_sto1111328.shtml|title=Speed DeMong wins at Lahti|last=Walker|first=Lee|date=March 9, 2007|website=Eurosport.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312131535/http://www.eurosport.com/nordiccombinedskii/lahti/2006-2007/sport_sto1111328.shtml|archive-date=March 12, 2007|access-date=February 13, 2018}} 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).
=2010 Winter Olympics=
File:2010 Winter Olympics Bill Demong in nordic combined LH10km.jpg event at the 2010 Winter Olympics]]
{{see also|Nordic combined at the 2010 Winter Olympics|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.{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Olympics/2010/0223/US-Nordic-combined-team-wins-historic-silver-at-Vancouver-Olympics|title=US Nordic combined team wins historic silver at Vancouver Olympics|author=Christa Case Bryant|publisher=The Christian Science Monitor|date=2010-02-23}}
In the 10 km individual large hill, Demong won gold.{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcolympics.com/nordic-combined/resultsandschedules/event=NCM690000/index.html|title=Individual large hill results|date=2010-02-25}} Demong is the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in a nordic event.{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=a8ZS2UYSnDxI|title=Demong Wins First Nordic Combined Gold Medal for U.S.|author=Erik Matuszewski|publisher=Bloomberg |date=2010-02-25}}
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.[https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Hours-after-gold-medal-win-U-S-skier-proposes-;_ylt=Avv.w1Qjw0vxx6Rfe3DEocWGsbV_?urn=oly,224539 "Hours after gold medal, U.S. skier proposes to girlfriend".] – Chris Chase Yahoo! Sports February 26, 2010 article Retrieved February 27, 2010. Koczynski said yes. 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. It was Demong's teammate, Spillane, who gave Demong the courage to propose to his future wife. Demong and his fiancée discussed how this happened on NBC's Today show the following morning.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100228182713/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35600802/ns/today-today_in_vancouver/ "Olympic rings to engagement ring for skier".] – Mike Celizic msnbc.com Today February 26, 2010 article Retrieved February 27, 2010. On July 11, 2010, Demong married Koczynski in Lake Placid, New York.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/fashion/weddings/11KOCZYNSKI.html?ref=weddings | work=The New York Times | title=Katie Koczynski and Bill Demong | date=July 10, 2010}}
Personal life
Demong learned to jump through the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF). He attended the National Sports Academy 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.{{Cite news|url=http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/527499/Helen-Demong--an-Adirondack-woman-who-opens-doors.html?nav=5048|title=Helen Demong: an Adirondack woman who opens doors|last=Lewis|first=Randy|date=November 2, 2011|work=Adirondack Daily Enterprise|access-date=February 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205144212/http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/527499/Helen-Demong--an-Adirondack-woman-who-opens-doors.html?nav=5048|archive-date=February 5, 2016}}
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Bill Demong}}
- {{FIS Nordic combined skier|13181}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929090858/http://www.usskiteam.com/public/team.php?sN=2&pJ=4&dId=4&aId=150 U.S. Ski Team Biography]
{{Footer Olympic Champions NK Sprint}}
{{Footer World Champions NK Sprint}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Demong, Bill}}
Category:American male Nordic combined skiers
Category:Nordic combined skiers at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Category:Nordic combined skiers at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Category:Nordic combined skiers at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Category:Nordic combined skiers at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Category:Nordic combined skiers at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Category:Olympic Nordic combined skiers for the United States
Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in Nordic combined
Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in Nordic combined
Category:People from Franklin County, New York
Category:FIS Nordic World Ski Championships medalists in Nordic combined
Category:Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Category:American sportspeople of Korean descent