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Two Americans in top 10 after first half of Nordic combined
By Landon Hall
AP sports writer
PARK CITY, Utah — Todd Lodwick and Bill Demong aren't kids anymore, and as they grow up, the U.S. Nordic combined team is coming of age, too.
The Americans leaped steady and long in the ski-jumping portion of the event Saturday, surprising the dominant Europeans by both finishing in the top 10.
"Anything is possible tomorrow," said Lodwick, who enters Sunday's cross-country portion in seventh, one spot ahead of Demong.
The two men already have exceeded expectations in a sport Americans have traditionally struggled in. The highest Olympic finish by a U.S. athlete is ninth, in 1932 by Rolf Monsen.
"Every single person out there is afraid of the USA right now," said coach Jan-Erik Aalbu, who coached the powerful Norwegians at the 1994 and 1998 Olympics. "Four or five years ago, it was not that way."
At 17, Lodwick pulled off a remarkable fifth-place showing in the ski jump, but his bad skiing technique failed him. He was 43rd out of 52 competitors in the next day's race, and wound up 14th. He was 13th after the jump in Nagano but again struggled on the skis, taking 20th overall. Now 25, Lodwick benefited from taking time off last year and came back strong, winning two World Cup events in December.
Demong, of Vermontville, N.Y., was 17 when he competed in his first Olympics four years ago, and he finished 34th. But he, too, has held his own against the world's best this season.
"You can't become a great cross-country skier overnight," said Lodwick, who's from Steamboat Springs, Colo. "It takes years to get your technique down. You're looking at a more mature, more focused, more athletic group of individuals than we were four years ago. We have expectations."
After a tailwind let up during the second round on the 90-meter hill at Utah Olympic Park, Demong leaped 92.5 meters. Lodwick later equaled the mark. Both scored high on judges' style points, which are added to the distance points.
In Sunday's 15-kilometer freestyle race at Soldier Hollow, Lodwick will start 2 minutes, 15 seconds behind leader Jaakko Tallus of Finland, while Demong will begin race 2:20 back.
The top-ranked Nordic combined athlete in the world, Austria's Felix Gottwald, turned in a poor first jump and stands 11th.
Lodwick was asked to explain what his deficit would mean to Americans who might be more well-versed in football than Nordic.
"It's down a couple touchdowns going into the fourth quarter," he admitted. "But as you saw in the Super Bowl, you can come back."
Aalbu said there are only two athletes ahead of Lodwick and Demong who are better skiers than them: third-place Samppa Lajunen of Finland, the 1998 silver medalist, and German Ronny Ackermann, who's fifth.
"Other than that, they have a chance to catch pretty much everyone," Aalbu said.
The weather was completely clear for jumpers Saturday, after a high winds Friday postponed the qualifying for the regular 90-meter ski jump event. An enthusiastic crowd of 16,724 rang cowbells and saved their loudest cheers for the four Americans.
"I definitely feel like this is our hometown deal," Demong said. "This is where the United States will get to see us shine, and we did really well."
Lodwick also had recovered from a crash during a practice jump on Thursday. The toe of his boot broke where it connects with the ski, and he tumbled onto the snow after landing. He had some abrasions on his face and a headache, but it didn't seem to effect him Saturday. He even used the same boot.
"I did a little super-gluing job," he said.
The top jumpers turned in some strong marks on their first attempts, but a tailwind began blowing downhill early in the second round, forcing the jumpers' ski tips downward and resulting in shorter distances.
After 14 competitors went, the metal starting bar was hiked up two gates, and later a slight headwind began blowing in from the grandstand, giving the jumpers more lift.
Tallus vaulted 95.5 meters on his second jump for a combined score of 267.5 points. Mario Stecher of Austria is in second (258.0). Lodwick and Demong scored 240.5 and 239.5 points, respectively.
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February 9, 2002
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