U.S. in second place in team Nordic combined

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The United States is in second place after the large hill portion of the team Nordic combined competition, with the 4x5-kilometer relay scheduled for 2 p.m. this afternoon.

The American quartet of Brett Camerota (Park City, Utah), Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), Billy Demong (Vermontville, N.Y.) and Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) posted a score of 505.8, trailing only Finland’s 507.0, which will give the Finns only a two-second advantage to start the relay. Austria is in third with a 479.9 and will start 34 seconds behind the Americans.

The U.S. has never won a medal in this event, with a best finish of fourth at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Spillane became the first American to win a medal in Nordic combined earlier in these Games.

-- Houston Mitchell in Vancouver, Canada