January 28, 2008 (Seefeld, Austria) – Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) had the third-fastest 7.5K race Sunday and finished sixth in a World Cup event shortened by poor weather. Demong held onto second place in the overall points. Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 27th in a sprint won by Jason Lamy Chappuis of France.

Organizers originally scheduled an individual competition, two jumps and a 15K race. However, forecasts of nasty weather for Sunday convinced officials to stage one jump Saturday after the lone jump in a sprint (and before the 7.5K race was held). That jump was to be held for Sunday’s competition, which eventually was trimmed to a second sprint because of unsafe, gusting winds.

Lamy Chappuis jumped to second place before Austrian Bernhard Gruber. He started 12 seconds behind Gruber in the three-lap race and finished 4.5 seconds ahead of him. Third place went to another Austrian, Christoph Bieler. Demong was seventh in the jumping and started 62 seconds behind Gruber and, although he had the third-fastest time, couldn’t gain on the leaders.

He moved up one place and finished 20.0 seconds back. Spillane, 32nd in the one jumping round, moved up to 27th with the 13th-fastest race.

“This was a much flatter course than the one yesterday. They just seemed to add a K of dead, flat skiing out in a field. So, the guys up front were able to stay away,” Demong said. “And then nobody wanted to do anything where I was, so I wound up leading this big train [group] into the last part of the final lap.

“I was tired at the end yesterday because of charging from the back and I was tired today because of pulling this train. This will be a good time off. I can use the rest,” he said.

“They all skied fast up front,” Head Coach Lasse Ottesen said. “Bill had another good race, too, but the goal today was to win, so in that sense it’s a disappointment. He stays second in the points, but he’s tired, so it will be good for Bill – and for Johnny, too – to get some time at home. Then they can come back ready to roll again for the last month of the season.”

Organizers tried to hold a second round of jumping, but the return of gusting winds forced them to cancel a trial round midway through the field. The jumping was pushed back to noon, Ottesen said, “but a few minutes before 12 they announced we’d have a sprint instead of the 15K. Bill and Johnny are stronger in the longer race, so that would have been good – especially with Bill only 40 seconds out to start. They key thing, though was to hold a competition, and so we’ll be happy with the day and certainly happy with the week off.”

After 15 events, Germany’s Ronny Ackermann leads with 956 points and Demong has 741. Lamy Chappuis is third at 713 with Spillane in 15th place (276).

The final period of the Warsteiner FIS World Cup schedule begins Feb. 15-17 with three events in Liberec, Czech Republic, host of the 2009 FIS Nordic World Championships.

2008 Warsteiner FIS Nordic Combined World Cup
100m/7.5K
1. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France (2/6)
2. Bernhard Gruber, Austria, (1/20) 4.5 seconds back
3. Christoph Bieler, Austria, (3/15) 8.7
4. Magnus Moan, Norway, (14/1) 18.3
5. Ronny Ackermann, Germany, (5/5) 18.9

6. Bill Demong, Vermontville, NY, (7/3) 20.0
27. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO, (32/13) 1:41.7

Click here for complete results.