Olympics 2010 Winter Johnny Spillane, 86 kr

Johnny Spillane than silver in the Nordic combined 10-kilometer race Sunday comes with a pang of disappointment is a measure of how much the overall program of Nordic men have arrived. First was the U.S. Olympic medals in the sport. However, the Americans finished LODWICK Todd and Bill Demong 4th and 6, respectively. At one point during the race, was an American sweep of medals does not seem out of the question.But that 2-4-6 was the best result for any country in the Olympic Nordic combined, since 1984, when Finland was 2-3-4. End of the race on Sunday, with Spillane 0.4 seconds behind Jason Lamy Chappuis of France, was closer to the Nordic combined finals in Olympic history.The result has been coming for over a decade. The current generation of American skiers in a sport that combines ski jumping and cross country has reached unprecedented heights. World Championship 2009, U.S. skiers all won individual gold medals."I'm excited," said Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, who won a silver medal Sunday afternoon in front of 4,500 screaming fans around the Whistler Olympic Park cross country course. "It took a long, long hard work ... As Americans, the Olympics are for us. And perhaps sometimes that puts too little pressure on the team and people expect it would not be possible. But it goes This year we have three guys who are very consistent and very strong, and give something special today. It was as if it was a miracle case. And yet to put three men in the top six. "Spillane took the lead with less than 800 meters left in the race but said he had enough in the tank to hold off Jason Lamy Chappius, France, who won the race with a time of 25:47.1. It was an exciting sprint to the finish in the top six skiers. Spillane's silver medal time was 4 seconds after the Frenchman, who also was born in Montana and has an American mother.If, like most Americans, it is easy to understand the Nordic combined - explains everything in just a few down - here is a baseball analogy, there may be enough, former coach Tom Steitz U.S. compares Americans' fault Epic Winter Games to another oh-fer 86 years. It was, he said, as "the curse of the Red Sox."Johnny Spillane ended a drought in 86 years that few Americans even knew existed. Alexandre Bilodeau joined a much shorter expected that virtually all of Canada had been more painful.Spillane was dry in the Nordic combined, only four tenths of a second U.S. medal make a first-come in the best color. It is still an incredible achievement, the kind that could land him on the front of the media guide for the U.S. Nordic combined team.Bilodeau's feat - winning the men's moguls - it can take on a stamp or one U.S. dollar Canadian $ 1 coin in Canada.His victory was the first by a Canadian, at least at the Olympic Games were held in Canada. Although only two Olympic Games in Vancouver in Canada before, there were 244 gold medals during these games.After the disappointments that stretches from the Battle of the Brians in 1988 to Jenn Heil next short women moguls Saturday night, were Canadians hold their breath when Bilodeau remained at the starting line, trying to overcome the score Posted by Dale Begg-Smith - a native Canadian to compete of Australia.He moved to first with a quick run up, so had to wait for a final boss. It proved worth the wait. At 6:29 PT, stood Bilodeau top of the medal stand and leaned forward, revealing a red maple leaf on the back of his white helmet as a reward was placed around his neck. Millions of people from the Yukon to Newfoundland was probably sing along to "O Canada"."I had, I took it, and now belongs to history," said Bilodeau.Begg-Smith took silver and American Byron Wilson won a bronze medal, giving the six medals the United States through two days of competition - most of these Olympic Games, matching the team total since the last time the Winter Games were in Canada in 1988."I thought Johnny would win,''said Jarrett." But there is a reason why Jason takes World Cup and has virtually secured the title before that almost half of the season. No. 1, has been one of the best jumpers all year, and No. 2, which is always in the last 100m sprint to victory.''LODWICK, the current world champion, started in second place behind Finland Janne Ryynänen, who had the longest jump of the day. Spillane began in the fourth, 44 seconds after Chappuis Ryynänen and the fifth, 46 seconds after the leader.When hopelessly behind the Germans, Austrians, Russians, Norwegians and Finns, the Nordic combined ski team USA is now one of the world powers because of its dominance of last year's world championships and silver medal Spillane Sunday."I hope it means it will be much easier to get a second,''Demong said." He always tries to get out of the way first. So what makes Todd and I that much more excited and ready for next week. "To get to a place where 2-4-6 was even remotely control imagine, much less a reality, it took 10 years. He also had a vision - especially Steitz and Bill MAROLT, since the mid-1990s has led the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Assn.MAROLT, especially had the vision long term. He assured that the funding program. When nobody believed, he believed, was patient, confident that your patience will be rewarded.MAROLT, as is his style, never applied for loans from others, as the program began to show signs of promise. Consistently said praise was due to athletes, coaches and support staff.Among the three major U.S. Nordic, Spillane came running more under the radar. After being the first American to break into the international arena - with gold in the 2003 World Championships - in a large part of his career stagnated. A knee injury this year could have added to their frustration. But instead gave him time to take a step back."I had to spend a great effort not to get better, but only to return to where it was," he said at a press conference prior to the Olympics. "So do not put more pressure on myself."USA's fourth race on Sunday, Brett Camorata, finished 36: e. On 23 February will compete in the team event. The third and last event in the Nordic combined calendar, the race of 7.5 miles, is scheduled for February 25.

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