Jim Shea Takes Skeleton Gold

February 20, 2002 - Salt Lake City, Utah - Team Sprint athlete Jim Shea won the men's skeleton race with a combined two-run time of 1 minute 41.96 seconds.

The victory was the culmination of an emotional two months for the first-ever third-generation winter games athlete, the grandson of 1932 winter games gold medalist Jack Shea and son of 1964 winter games athlete Jim Shea, Sr. Jack Shea was America's oldest living winter games athlete until his death in January at the age of 91.

After finishing his second run, Shea pulled out his grandfather's funeral card from his helmet and waved it as fans chanted "U-S-Shea! U-S-Shea!"

Martin Rettl of Austria was second with a combined time of 1:42.01.

One of the world's top skeleton sliders since 1997, Jim Shea has won three medals at the World Championships, including gold in 1999 in Altenberg, Germany, to become the first American to win a skeleton world title. He also won the skeleton gold medal during the inaugural Winter Goodwill Games in 2000 at Lake Placid, N.Y.

The sport has been an winter games event only twice before the 2002 games, in 1926 and 1948 at St. Moritz, Switzerland. Considered the world's first sliding sport, skeleton is named for its skeleton-like steel-framed, two-runner sled design. Ridden down the bobsled run head-first, the sleds approach speeds of over more than 80 miles per hour. Competitors steer by shifting their body weight and dragging their feet.