It’s a pretty good sign for the U.S. Nordic Combined Team that a fourth-place World Cup finish for Bill Demong isn’t greeted with a whole lot of fanfare.
With 28 days before the first race of the 2010 Olympic Games, Demong and his teammates have already been on the podium four times this year, despite the fact that Head Coach Dave Jarrett says that his athletes haven’t even tried to peak yet.
In Sunday’s World Cup in Chaux-Neuve, France—his last before heading home to the U.S.—Demong finished just outside the top three, as Mario Stecher (AUS) caught and passed him in the stadium right before the finish. Five years ago, the result probably would have been treated with significantly more reverence, but today it seemed like more of a pedestrian effort.
Conditions in Chaux-Neuve were dicey this morning, and officials almost scrapped the jumping round. Had they done that, Jarrett said that the Americans would have been well-positioned for the cross country race, but the weather ended up giving the organizers just enough of an opening.
After the jumping round, Demong was sitting in ninth place. In the ensuing race, eventual winner Magnus Moan caught him from behind, and the two skied together almost until the finish, Jarrett said in a phone interview from Europe.
In the finale, the American couldn’t quite hold Moan’s pace, and ended up getting dropped by the Norwegian, who was on his way to his second win in as many days. Jason Lamy Chappuis of France also came by.