January 25, 2011 (Park City, Utah) – Olympic medalists and World Champions Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO), Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) and Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) will lead the decorated U.S. Nordic Combined World Championship Team to Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway for the Jan. 26 – Mar. 4 Championships. The Team, whose members have achieved four World Championship titles plus one team and three individual Olympic medals, was announced Monday after athletes qualified through World Cup and Continental Cup competition.
Joining the three medalists on the Team are World Championship newcomers including Olympian Taylor Fletcher, (Steamboat Springs, CO), Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Nick Hendrickson (Park City, UT).
“The Team is going to be a mix of veterans and newcomers,” said Head Coach Dave Jarrett. “We are looking forward to Oslo with the nordic atmosphere, crowds and the chance to perform on a big stage. We will prepare the best we know how and do everything we can to win medals.”
The U.S. athletes have treated the World Cup season as a buildup towards the World Championships with each of the three medalists competing on reduced schedules. Lodwick has the best U.S. result with a fourth in Austria earlier this month. Spillane, who suffered a knee injury last summer, made his comeback just a week ago. Demong took a month off in anticipation of the birth of his baby boy. Both Demong and Spillane have had strong cross country performances in their returns and will be drawing a big focus on jump training heading into the Championships.
In 2009, Lodwick and Demong racked in the World Championship titles, with Demong clinching the large hill and Lodwick topping the Gundersen and mass start normal hill events. After an historic 2010 the USA crew is ready to sport the new Bjorn Daehlie black uniforms in Oslo as they head to the heart of nordic skiing. In Vancouver, 2003 World Champion Spillane earned three silver medals, Demong took home a gold and silver and Lodwick led the USA to silver in the team event.
Adding to the success and depth of the 2011 Team are the Fletcher brothers and Hendrickson. Both Fletchers are heading into World Champs strong posting top 30 results on the World Cup stage. Hendrickson is coming in with momentum as well after having successful races on the Continental Cup tour.