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Bill DemongAmerican biathlete
Date of Birth: 29.03.1980
Country:  USA |
Content:
- American Nordic Combined Skier
- Tragic Accident and Recovery
- Controversy at the 2009 World Championships
- Olympic Gold and Proposal
American Nordic Combined Skier
Early Career and SuccessBill Demong is an American Nordic combined skier and the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in Nordic skiing, which includes cross-country skiing, ski jumping, and Nordic combined. He finished third overall in the World Cup standings in the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons, becoming only the second American (after Bill Koch in 1981/82) to place in the top three in the overall Nordic skiing World Cup standings. Demong won a total of 9 World Cup events throughout his career.
Tragic Accident and Recovery
In August 2002, while staying in a hotel in Germany, Demong suffered a severe traumatic brain injury after diving headfirst into a shallow pool and hitting his head on the bottom. The impact cracked his skull from his nose to his crown, resulting in partial short-term memory loss, making it difficult for him to remember names and numbers. As part of his rehabilitation, he took up carpentry. Demong missed an entire season but was able to return to competitive skiing.
Controversy at the 2009 World Championships
At the 2009 World Championships in Liberec, the United States team was a strong contender for a medal in the team event. Demong had won a bronze medal individually, and teammate Todd Lodwick had won both individual disciplines. Just before the team ski jumping portion of the event, Demong realized he had lost his bib number. After an unsuccessful search, Demong was disqualified, forcing the U.S. team to compete with only three athletes instead of four. As a result, they finished in last place (12th). The team decided to withdraw from the cross-country relay, where they were more than three minutes behind the leaders. However, Demong later found his bib number tucked inside his ski jumping suit's leg. He had placed it in his bib pocket to keep it dry, but it had fallen out and become stuck inside the suit.
Olympic Gold and Proposal
Two days after the disqualification incident, Demong won a gold medal in the 10 km individual event at the World Championships, following a jump from the large hill. Following the medal ceremony for the 10 km (large hill) event at the Vancouver Olympics, Demong proposed to his girlfriend, former skeleton racer Katie Koczynski, who accepted. Additionally, Demong was selected to be the flag bearer for the United States at the closing ceremony of the Vancouver Olympics.
