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Jim Shea
- 2002 Olympics gold medalist
- Finished third in 2000-01 World Cup standings
- Gold medalist at inaugural Winter Goodwill Games in 2000
- First American to win Skeleton World Championship (Feb. 1999)
- Won silver during 2001-2002 World Cup season
- Third generation Olympian and national champion - father, Jim Shea, Sr., was nordic combined Olympian in 1964, grandfather, Jack Shea, won two speed skating gold medals in 1932
- Could be part of first American family to send three generations to Olympic Winter Games
- Volunteer fireman for Lake Placid Fire Department
- Once was waiter in the Artist's Café in Lake Placid
- First love was hockey. Attended every hockey games at the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, including the U.S. 'Miracle on Ice' win over the Soviet Union
- Tried bobsled, then switched to luge and eventually flipped around to skeleton
- Listens to AC/DC on his way to the track before a race
Shea tried bobsled and luge before attempting skeleton. He knew he had found his niche when he went on his first skeleton ride. "For an adrenaline junkie like me, there's no bigger high. It was a wicked challenge, and just a great experience." Within five years, he was a world champion. Then he became 2002 Olympic champion.
Related Links
Photo gallery: Olympic skeleton slider Jim Shea Jr.
Ask an Olympian: What are you doing this summer?
Related Article: Test your Winter Olympic knowledge
On the thrill of skeleton:
"I like to scare myself."
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Height: 5' 11
Born: 6/10/1968
Hometown: Lake Placid, N.Y.
Resides: Lake Placid, N.Y.
Sport: Skeleton
Event: Skeleton
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