Klingenthal, Germany – Challenging weather conditions in Klingenthal, Germany on Sunday did not claim Billy Demong as the Olympic nordic combined skiing champion from Vermontville, N.Y.  finished 10th in an individual Gundersen, making up 10 spots from the jump.

High winds and heavy snowfall forced the cancellation of the ski jumping portion of the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup. Results from Saturday’s provisional competition round were used, seeding the athletes for the cross country race. France’s Jason Lamy-Chappuis was back on top with the win to appear on the podium for the second time on the weekend.

Demong skied the fifth fastest cross country leg to take him from 20th to 10th, racing to make up over a minute and twenty seconds deficit.Bryan Fletcher, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., made up four spots, seeded in 19th and skiing to 15th.

All four U.S. competitors landed in the top 30 with Johnny Spillane, still feeling the aftereffects of illness last month, finished 24th after a challenging cross country race lost him 10 positions.Taylor Fletcher bumped up 10 spots to finish 29th after starting two minutes and 25 seconds back in 39th.  Both are also from Steamboat Springs.

“It was a good race today from Billy and Bryan. Johnny is feeling the effects of being so sick last month,” said Dave Jarrett, the U.S. Ski Team’s Nordic Combined Head Coach. “Taylor did a good job, too. A Finnish competitor crashed and fell in front of Taylor on one of the downhills on the first lap. It cost Taylor some time, but he kept his cool and managed to get in the points. We had four guys in the top 30 again which is a good thing.”

The U.S. Nordic Combined team will stay in Klingenthal to train until Thursday before heading to Liberec in the Czech Republic for a penalty race and an individual Gundersen this weekend.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
Klingenthal, Germany – Feb. 19, 2012
Individual Gundersen 10.0 km