Additional Information
Highlights
NORDIC COMBINED| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Olympic Winter Games |
| 1 | Individual Gundersen LH / 10km | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 25:32.9 |
| 2 | Team Gundersen LH / 4x5km | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 49:36.8 |
| 4 | Team Gundersen NH / 4x5km | 2002 | Salt Lake City, UT, USA | 49:54.1 |
| 6 | Individual Gundersen NH / 10km | 2010 | Vancouver, BC, CAN | 26:05.0 |
| 7 | Team Gundersen LH / 4x5km | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 51:52.5 |
| 10 | Team Gundersen NH / 4x5km | 1998 | Nagano, JPN | 58:38.6 |
| 14 | Individual Sprint LH / 7.5km | 2002 | Salt Lake City, UT, USA | 17:56.1 |
| 15 | Individual Gundersen NH / 15km | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 42:08.5 |
| 19 | Individual Gundersen NH / 15km | 2002 | Salt Lake City, UT, USA | 43:18.1 |
| 25 | Individual Sprint LH / 7.5km | 2006 | Torino, ITA | 20:03.7 |
| 34 | Individual Gundersen NH / 15km | 1998 | Nagano, JPN | 47:18.9 |
| World Championships |
| 1 | Individual Gundersen LH / 10km | 2009 | Liberec, CZE | 23:36.6 |
| 2 | Individual Gundersen NH / 15km | 2007 | Sapporo, JPN | 38:44.1 |
| 3 | Team Gundersen NH / 4x5km | 2013 | Val di Fiemme, ITA | 57:38.2 |
| 3 | Individual Gundersen NH / 10km | 2009 | Liberec, CZE | 24:55.8 |
| 4 | Team Gundersen NH / 4x5km | 2011 | Oslo, NOR | 49:02.6 |
| 6 | Team Sprint LH / 2x7.5km | 2013 | Val di Fiemme, ITA | 37:02.5 |
| 6 | Individual Gundersen LH / 10km | 2011 | Oslo, NOR | 26:20.9 |
| 6 | Team Gundersen LH / 4x5km | 2011 | Oslo, NOR | 48:56.3 |
| 7 | Individual Gundersen NH / 10km | 2011 | Oslo, NOR | 26:05.4 |
| 15 | Individual Gundersen LH / 10km | 2013 | Val di Fiemme, ITA | 28:49.0 |
| 23 | Individual Gundersen NH / 10km | 2013 | Val di Fiemme, ITA | 30:44.8 |
| World Cup Rankings overview - displays all rankings from 2010/11, top three for earlier seasons |
| Season | Overall |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 24 |
| 2012/2013 | 37 |
| 2011/2012 | 20 |
| 2010/2011 | 44 |
| 2008/2009 | 3 |
| 2007/2008 | 3 |
| Best performance per season in World Cup events from 2010/2011 |
| Season | NH/15km | NH/10km | NH/5km | LH/10km | PR-LH/10km | Team NH/4x5km | Team LH/4x5km | TSP LH/2x7.5km | TSP NH/2x7.5km |
|---|
| 2013/2014 | 1 x 11th | 1 x 9th | 1 x 8th | 1 x 13th | - | - | 1 x 7th | 1 x 7th | - |
| 2012/2013 | - | 1 x 16th | - | 1 x 15th | 1 x 12th | 1 x 3rd | 1 x 7th | 1 x 13th | - |
| 2011/2012 | - | 1 x 8th | - | 1 x 3rd | 1 x 18th | 1 x 5th | - | 1 x 6th | 1 x 6th |
| 2010/2011 | - | - | - | 1 x 19th | - | - | - | - | - |
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| Ten best World Cup performances in current season |
| 7 | Team Gundersen LH / 4x5km | 2013/2014 | Kuusamo, FIN | 55:35.6 |
| 7 | Team Sprint LH / 2x7.5km | 2013/2014 | Chaux-Neuve, FRA | 35:05.8 |
| 8 | Individual Gundersen NH / 5km | 2013/2014 | Seefeld, AUT | 13:04.4 |
| 9 | Individual Gundersen NH / 10km | 2013/2014 | Ramsau, AUT | 22:03.0 |
| 11 | Individual Gundersen NH / 15km | 2013/2014 | Seefeld, AUT | 40:20.9 |
| 12 | Individual Gundersen NH / 10km | 2013/2014 | Seefeld, AUT | 26:29.5 |
| 13 | Individual Gundersen LH / 10km | 2013/2014 | Chaux-Neuve, FRA | 28:31.8 |
| 19 | Individual Gundersen NH / 10km | 2013/2014 | Lillehammer, NOR | 28:09.2 |
| Individual Gundersen LH / 10km | 2013/2014 | Lillehammer, NOR | DSQ |
| FIS World Ranking List |
| 31 | Individual | 2013/2014 | | 104 (in progress) |
LegendNH-Normal Hill, LH-Large Hill, PR-Penalty Race, TSP-Team Sprint, DNS-Did not start, DNQ-Did not qualify for main competition, DNF-Did not finish, DSQ-Disqualified
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
|---|
| World Championships |
| 51 | 50km Mass Start Free | 2011 | Oslo, NOR | 2:20:06.9 |
| Best performance per season in World Cup events from 2010/2011 |
| Season | 50km F |
|---|
| 2012/2013 | 1 x 58th |
LegendSP-Sprint, C-Classic, F-Freestyle, P-Pursuit, R-Relay, xkm/xkm-Skiathlon events, TSP-Team Sprint, Overall-Overall Standings Stage World Cup, DNS-Did not start, DNQ-Did not qualify for final race, DNF-Did not finish, DSQ-Disqualified
- Nickname: Billy (FIS, 03 May 2009)
- Occupation: Athlete
- Family: Wife Katie, son Liam
- Coach: Dave Jarrett [national] (USA) (olympictalk.nbcsports.com, 22 Jan 2014)
- Other Sports: He has competed in ski jumping, and was part of the United States team that finished 12th in the 2009 World Cup event in Lahti, Finland. He also competed in cross-country skiing, and finished 51th in the 50km freestyle at the 2011 World Championships in Oslo, Norway. (SportsDeskOnline, 24 Jan 2014)
- Previous Olympics: Vancouver 2010, Torino 2006, Salt Lake City 2002, Nagano 1998
- Hobbies: Cycling, fishing, mountain biking, hunting, reading. (fis-ski.com, 2014; NOC Media Guide, 2014)
- Education: Colorado Mountain College, United States
- Languages Spoken: English, Norwegian
- Sporting Relatives: His wife Katie Koczynski represented the United States in skeleton at World Cup level. (nytimes.com, 10 Jul 2010)
- Injuries: He was diagnosed with whooping cough in December 2012. (usatoday.com, 19 Feb 2013)
A diving accident in Winterberg, Germany, left him with a skull fracture and out of competition for the entire 2003 World Cup season. (US Ski Team, 05 May 2005)
Additional Information
Member of national team since1998 (fis-ski.com, 2014)
Start of sporting careerHe began skiing at age six and was jumping by age 10. (US Ski Team Guide 2002)
Reason for taking up this sportWhen he was eight, the boys he skied with all wanted to try jumping, so he joined them. Soon after he had switched to Nordic combined. (SLOC, 13 Dec 2001)
AmbitionsTo compete at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. (voanews.com, 31 Jan 2014)
Sporting philosophy / motto"Anything worth doing is worth doing right." (Rossignol, 01 Dec 2005)
AwardsHe was the United States' flag bearer at the closing ceremony for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. (olympictalk.nbcsports.com, 27 Dec 2013)
GeneralNATIONAL FIRST
He became the first US athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in Nordic skiing when he claimed victory in the 10km Gundersen event in Vancouver in 2010. (billdemong.com, 2014)
OLYMPIC PROPOSAL
After receiving his gold medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver he proposed to partner Katie Koczynski in front of teammates and coaches. The couple married in July 2010. (nytimes.com, 10 Jul 2010)
COMMUNITY WORK
He is a motivational speaker and spoke at the 75th anniversary of Earth Day as an ambassador for the 'Athletes for the Earth Campaign'. (billdemong.com, 2014)
Social MediaHear more from the athlete via their
website,
Twitter and
Facebook.