America's Spillane Hopes to Medal Today

America's Spillane Hopes to Medal Today


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Shelley Osterloh ReportingAnother American hoping to medal today is Johnny Spillane.

But, the two time Olympian in the Nordic combined has had his fair share of bad luck. He's hoping that what didn't kill him, only made him stronger.

In 2003, Spillane was at the peak of his career. He already had two Olympic games under his belt. And, he had just won the sprint title at the World Championships in Italy.

But then, Spillane injured his left shoulder during a jump and had to have surgery. After rehabilitation, Spillane was ready to compete again.

Johnny Spillane U.S. Nordic Combined Team: "I think I'm a good competitor. I enjoy the competitions. I perform better in competitions than I do in training. I like the challenge, I like the atmosphere around it. I like being nervous."

But more bad luck was just around the corner. And in 2005, he injured his back while jumping. And later that season, he injured his right shoulder.

Spillane: "It's really comparable to golf. You're on or you're not on, and you just want to make those not on periods as short as possible."

And although most people might give up after so much misfortune, this no-excuses athlete says injuries are just part of the game, and nothing can take away his love for the sport.

Spillane: "It's so technical that a lot of times some of the fun part is lost in it. But you have those jumps every once in a while that you go and you're just like, 'Wow, that was awesome. That was really flying.' That's why I do this sport, because it really is as close to flying as you can possibly get."

Spillane lives in Park City, but he's originally from Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

You can watch Spillane and his teammates compete in the Nordic Combined sprint event this afternoon on KSL 5.

It's interesting that Spillane has no trouble flying off a 120 meter jump, but says he is afraid to fly in airplanes.

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