November 30, 2007 (Kuusamo, Finland) – Current world champion Ronny Ackermann of Germany won the opening event of the Warsteiner Nordic Combined World Cup season Friday and the U.S. Ski Team had 2003 gold medalist Johnny Spillane second with Bill Demong seventh. Ackermann won it by 13.4 seconds over Spillane with Austrian Christoph Bieler third.

“It’s still early in the season, but this is a nice way to start,” U.S. Coach Lasse Ottesen said. “The boys jumped okay in the first round and then got better in the second round, and then they both had an outstanding 15K. If they had jumped both rounds like the second round, it could have been even more fun…but we’re smiling.”

Ackermann, a four-time world champion was sixth in jumping and 13th in the four-lap 15 km race. Spillane, a three-time Olympian who has battled shoulder and back injuries since his gold medal in the individual (i.e., 15 km) event at the 2003 Worlds in Italy, jumped to 13th and had the fifth-fastest race.

Demong, silver medal-winner last March at the 2007 World Championships in Japan, produced the second-fastest race and moved up to seventh place.

Full results here.