FasterSkier

Tag: Spillane

  • Spillane 4th, Demong 8th in Second Day of NoCo World Cup

    LILLEHAMMER, Norway – It was a great end to a weekend of competing for Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) who went two-for-two leading the U.S., breaking a tie for fourth by winning a photo finish Sunday as the nordic combined World Cup wrapped up in Lillehammer. It was Spillane’s best result since finishing second in Kuusamo in 2007.

    “It was great to have a good weekend,” Spillane said. “I felt like I skied a pretty good race, I just got beat at the end when I was tired. But, I was definitely satisfied with both jumping and cross country.”

    Germany’s Tino Edelmann won the competition for his first World Cup victory, followed by Anssi Koivuranta of Finland in second, and Jason Lamy Chappuis of France in third.

    With a successful jump, Spillane started things out in the lead pack and fought his way along, taking the lead in two splits before falling to third at the 9K mark, and then eventually to fourth.

    “It was a pretty good race. The start of it was slow, and had a whole bunch of people together. So, I went to the front to try to break it up a little bit,” Spillane said.

    “On the last hill and last lap, Johnny was doing everything he could to drive the train,” Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett added.

    For Spillane, the early-season success is something of a welcome surprise.

    “I didn’t really come into it with any expectations after the summer. I felt pretty good about where I was, but I wasn’t going to get bent out of shape if things didn’t go well,” Spillane said.

    “He’s definitely surpassing where we as a staff expected him to start, but we knew he was always capable of being right here,” Jarrett added. “It’s a credit to him knowing deep down that he’s also capable of that. Hopefully we can continue on this path.”

    Following Spillane for the U.S. was World Champion Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) who finished eighth.

    “It was a good start for Bill. With a fourth and eighth, you can’t really complain about a day like that,” Jarrett said. “Bill and Johnny each had a good competition today. Johnny was leading the race at several points during the competition and Bill was right in there for the lead group.”

    What was to be the next nordic combined World Cup in the Czech Republic was canceled but officials are now trying to hold a single competition on Dec. 16. A decision will be made this Wednesay.

    “I’m just going to keep doing the same thing and working hard,” Spillane said. “I feel like I can make some more steps in cross country, same with my jumping, and I’m going to just keep moving forward to Vancouver.”

  • Spillane 6th, Demong 14th in U.S. NoCo Opener

    Lillehammer, Norway – Two knee operations over the summer haven’t stopped Johnny Spillane, as the 29-year-old skied his way to a sixth place finish in the World Cup nordic combined race in Lillehammer earlier this morning.

    Billy Demong, also hampered by injuries this year, followed Spillane in 14th, just under a minute behind the winner, France’s Jeremy Lamy Chappuis, and Bryan Fletcher and Brett Camerota finished 41st and 56th, respectively, closing out the U.S. Nordic Combined Team’s effort on the day.

    For Spillane, who injured his meniscus while jumping this summer in Steamboat Springs, “it was a really good start,” according to Head Coach Dave Jarrett.

    To fix the knee, Spillane had to endure not one but two separate operations. Because he didn’t seem to be healing after the first procedure, Spillane had to go under the knife again just two months ago, in October.

    In a phone interview from Norway, Jarrett said that Spillane jumped “pretty well,” and then skied in a group for much of the cross country race, which took place in a snowstorm.

    Spillane’s group got within twelve seconds of the leaders, but wasn’t able to close the gap.

    For Demong, who injured his shoulder in a fall rollerski crash, Jarrett said the race was an average one, and that both his jumping and skiing should improve as the season goes along.

    “We have our sights a little bit late into the season,” he said, “so we’re not in the our peaking mode by any means.”

    Between the two of them, Fletcher and Camerota could have put together a good race, as the former skied fast and the latter had a good jump. Neither had the full package, though–for Fletcher, it was just “one of those days” on the race course, and Camerota’s jump didn’t put himself in the position to attack.

    The Americans take on an identical competition tomorrow.