James Edmound Shea Jr. (born June 10, 1968) is an American
skeleton racer who won the gold medal at the
2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Biography
Shea was the third generation of his family to take part in
Winter Games.
His father competed in
Nordic combined
Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in cross-country skiing (sport), cross-country skiing and ski jumping. The Nordic combined at the Winter Olympics has been held since the first 1924 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics in ...
and
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
events in the
1964 Winter Olympics
The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was a ...
, and his grandfather,
Jack Shea, won two gold medals in the
1932 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid in
speed skating.
His grandfather also recited the athlete's oath at the 1932 opening ceremony.
He was born and raised in
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 64,083 at the 20 ...
, and moved to
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205.
The village of Lake Placid ...
, in his late teens. He became the first American to win a World Cup race and a World Championship in the sport, and has won more World Cup victories than any other American. He retired in October 2005.
At the
FIBT World Championships, Shea earned a complete set of medals in the men's skeleton event with a gold in
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, a silver in
1997, and a bronze in
2000 (tied for bronze with
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
's
Alexander Müller). His best overall seasonal finish in the men's
Skeleton World Cup was third twice (1998–99, 2000–01).
Shea founded The Shea Family Foundation which raises money to help kids in sports. He currently serves on the Utah Board of Economic Development.
Shea has two daughters and a son and lives in
Park City, Utah. In 2021, he was sentenced to two years of court-supervised probation for sexual misconduct.
2002 Olympics
Along with his father,
Jim Shea Sr., he passed the
Olympic Torch to
Cammi Granato and
Picabo Street who then passed it to the
1980 U.S. Men's Hockey Team, who then ignited the
Olympic Cauldron.
See also
*
List of Olympic medalist families
References
External links
*
CBS Sports profileFIBT profileIOC 2002 Winter Olympics
Shea's official 2002 Olympic website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shea, Jimmy
1968 births
Living people
American male skeleton racers
American people convicted of child sexual abuse
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in skeleton
Olympic skeleton racers for the United States
Skeleton racers at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Sportspeople from Park City, Utah
Sportspeople from West Hartford, Connecticut
Oath takers at the Olympic Games
21st-century American sportsmen
20th-century American sportsmen