US aims to build Nordic success on first gold (News Feature)

By John Bagratuni Feb 26, 2010, 2:48 GMT

Whistler, Canada - John Farra could not hide a few tears when more than a decade of hard work ended an 86-year jinx for the United States in Olympic Nordic skiing.

While US athletes have excelled in alpine skiing and the new freestyle and snowboard events as well, the Nordic division did not top an Olympic podium until Thursday's Nordic combined triumph from Bill Demong.

To top it up, Johnny Spillane took silver.

'I had a good cry. It was more emotional than I thought. It was a sense of relief and honour,' the US Nordic team director Farra told the German Press Agency dpa.

Demong, 29, said: 'It hit me for two seconds, I am still trying to wrap my mind about that, and I will let you know in 10-15 years.'

Demong, Spillane and Todd Lodwick (who came out of retirement last season) have been training and competing together more than a decade.

Spillane won the nation's first world title in the 2003 sprint and the breakthrough came at last year's worlds in Liberec where Lodwick won two titles and Demong one.

The trio also lived up to the expectations in Whistler, winning a team event silver together with Brett Camerota, silver in the normal hill event from Spillane and now the historic one-two from Demong and Spillane.

'The victory was not unusual, it was somewhat destined,' said Farra.

Demong agreed: 'It has been building over the past five to 10 years. We knew we had three guys who could medal on any given day.'

The four medals from the Nordic team are double the amount US Nordic skiers won at the previous 20 Winter Games starting in 1924: a 1924 ski-jumping bronze from Anders Haugen and a cross-country silver from Bill Koch in 1976.

The US overall alpine haul, by contrast, stood at 14-18-6, by Thursday, but Farra hopes that the Nordic disciplines will now get more attention from the public and sponsors against the Lindsey Vonns and Bode Millers to further build the team.

'We need to draw sponsors and television to say 'hey, it's not only alpine we like, these Nordic guys are cool as well,'' Farra told dpa.

'We want to cash in on the attention.'

This must also be in the interest of US Olympic bosses, as only depth in many sports can make them top medal tables. The Nordic combined team has done its important share as the US are tussling with Germany, Canada and Norway for the top spot it has not occupied since 1932.

The cross-country skiers like Kikkan Randall and Adrian Newell could not quite live up to the expectations because their favourite disciplines (sprint and 15km respectively) were not held in their preferred style.

Newcomers are also more than welcome in all disciplines of a sport which has to live without government funding.

'We have to build the numbers in the team, that is the power countries like Norway and Sweden have,' said Farra.

The Nordic combined skiers like Demong are ready to do their share, Farra said.

'Bill (Demong) is a team player. He is interested in the sport and wants to keep it going for decades,' he said.

Demong said: 'It is an exciting sport. I hear more and more people are coming out to watch. I love this sport. It is becoming more mainstream. That popularity is really important.'