February 26, 2010 (Vancouver, BC) – The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) announced

Thursday that Olympic gold medalist Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) has been selected as flag bearer for the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team for the Closing Ceremony by fellow members of Team USA. Demong, 29, had a Thursday filled with excitement, which included winning a gold medal, being named flag bearer, and proposing to his girlfriend.

Olympic Champ Billy Demong Proposes
The Olympic gold medal Nordic Combined skier Billy Demong (Vermontville, NY) received Thursday evening in Whistler wasn’t his only gold of the day. A few hours later, in front of over a hundred fans, family and friends at Spyder U.S. Ski Team House in Whistler, the Olympic champion proposed to longtime girlfriend Katie Koczynski. She said yes!

Demong had been carrying a ring with him for several months, looking for that perfect time to pop the question. Just before heading out to Thursday’s final nordic combined event, he threw it in his bag, just in case.

He knew there would be no better time than the night of an Olympic gold medal. But it took some last-minute encouragement from teammate and three-time Olympic silver medalist Johnny Spillane to seal the deal.

“A little part of me really wanted to win to make it that much better, but I don’t think it was really going through my mind too much,” Demong said on the set of NBC’s The Today Show Friday morning.

After Spillane took to the stage to lead the crowd in Happy Birthday for his wife Hilary, Demong looked to his fellow World Champion for advice. Spillane gave him the thumbs up and Demong grabbed the microphone, shocking the crowd and putting a huge smile on Katie’s face.

Bending down on one knee, Demong asked Kocyznski to be his wife as the crowd cheered wildly. The ring didn’t go on smoothly, though. An old gymnastics injury on her ring finger made it tough, but teammate Todd Lodwick stepped in to help squeeze the ring onto her finger.

The celebration continued Friday morning on The Today Show at Grouse Mountain. During an interview with Today’s Meredith Vieira, Al Roker and Ann Curry, Billy called his girlfriend onto the set as Al presented her with a bouquet of red roses.

Koczynski is also an athlete, having competed as a skeleton racer on the World Cup for several years before retiring in 2005.

There was no immediate word on a wedding date for the newly-engaged couple. “After all of this, there’s going to be no worrying about tablecloth colors and place settings,” said Koczynski. Right now they’re content to celebrate Demong’s gold and silver medals as he looks forward to the remainder of the World Cup season.

It was quite an evening overall for Demong. Just prior to the engagement presentation he received a call that he had been selected by his fellow Olympians as the U.S. flag bearer for closing ceremonies.

“Being chosen as flag bearer is a phenomenal honor,” Demong said. “It could have been any one of my teammates, and it is meaningful that our peers are taking notice of what we’ve achieved.”

Demong becomes the fourth U.S. skier to carry the flag at Closing, the last being 1984 Olympic slalom champion Phil Mahre.

Demong was notified of the selection by cross country skier Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) on Thursday night during a celebration for the Team at Spyder U.S. Ski Team House. Earlier in the day, he made history by winning the USA’s first-ever nordic combined gold medal in the large hill competition with a time of 25:32.9, four seconds ahead of teammate Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO). Demong’s celebration continued Thursday night when he proposed to girlfriend Katie Koczynski.

“I don’t remember too much – it’s been a whirlwind of a day,” he said. “I think people have really found out how exciting our sport can be, and these Games have been a fantastic way for everything to come to fruition.”

Competing in his fourth Olympic Winter Games, Demong captured two medals in Vancouver. In addition to Thursday’s gold medal, he joined teammates Spillane, Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) and Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) to win silver in the nordic combined team 4x5k relay on Tuesday. Spillane also won silver in the normal hill/10k competition, while Demong finished sixth in the event. The medals were the first in U.S. Olympic nordic combined history.

Growing up near Lake Placid, NY, Demong made his first Olympic team in 1998 at age 17, and participated in his first World Championships the following year. He competed in the 2002 and 2006 Games, and last year, he won a gold medal at the 2009 World Championships to follow his silver two years earlier.

The Closing Ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 28, at BC Place in Vancouver.

As a footnote to a storybook day, Demong – who is also an outstanding road cyclist – was also honored with a Tweet from Lance Armstrong: Congrats to @billydemong on the gold! Now, back on the bike!

U.S. OLYMPIC WINTER TEAM FLAG BEARERS – CLOSING CEREMONY
1960     Donald McDermott, Speedskating
1964     Jean Saubert, Skiing
1968     unknown
1972     Barbara Ann Cochran, Skiing
1976     Sheila Young Ochowicz, Speedskating
1980     Eric Heiden, Speedskating
1984     Phil Mahre, Skiing
1988     Bonnie Blair, Speekskating
1992     Bonnie Blair, Speedskating
1994     Dan Jansen, Speedskating
1998     Cammi Granato, Ice Hockey
2002     Brian Shimer, Bobsled
2006     Joey Cheek, Speedskating
2010     Billy Demong, Nordic Combined