James Edmound Shea, Jr. (born June 10, 1968) is a retired American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 skeleton

Skeleton (sport)

Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...

 racer who won the Gold medal in dramatic fashion at the 2002 Winter Olympics

2002 Winter Olympics

The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...

 in Salt Lake City. Shea also was chosen by fellow athletes to recite the Athlete's Oath

Olympic Oath

The Olympic Oath is a solemn promise made by one athlete -- as a representative of each of the participating Olympic competitors; and by one judge -- as a representative of each officiating Olympic referee or other official, at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games...

 during the Opening Ceremonies and along with his father, Jim Shea Sr., passed the Olympic Torch to the 1980 U.S. Men's Hockey Team

Miracle on Ice

The "Miracle on Ice" is the name in American popular culture for a medal-round men's ice hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, on Friday, February 22...

 who ignited the Olympic Cauldron

Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park

The Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park is a plaza located at the south end of Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the 2002 Winter Olympics Rice-Eccles Stadium was known as Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium and was the site of the Opening and...

. Shortly before the Olympics he was a guest of Laura Bush

Laura Bush

Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...

 in the First Lady's Box at the 2002 State of the Union Address

2002 State of the Union Address

The 2002 State of the Union address, the first after the September 11th attacks, was given by U.S. President George W. Bush. In the address, Bush said that "As we gather tonight, our nation is at war, our economy is in recession, and the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers...

.

Biography

Shea was the third generation of his family to take part in Winter Games. His father competed in nordic combined

Nordic combined

The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in Nordic skiing since the 19th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...

 and cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 events in the 1964 Winter Olympics

1964 Winter Olympics

The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964...

, and his grandfather, Jack Shea

Jack Shea

John Amos Shea , better known as Jack Shea or The Chief, was an American double-Gold medalist in speed skating at the 1932 Winter Olympics. He was the first American to win two Gold medals at one Winter Olympics edition, and was the patriarch of the first family with three generations of Winter...

, won two gold medals in the 1932 Winter Olympics

1932 Winter Olympics

The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...

 at Lake Placid in speed skating

Long track speed skating

Speed skating is an Olympic sport where competitors are timed while crossing a set distance. It is also a sport for leisure. Sports such as short track speedskating, inline speedskating, and quad speed skating are also called 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, Connecticut

West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....

, and moved to Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid, New York

Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....

, 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

FIBT World Championships

The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...

, Shea earned a complete set of medals in the men's skeleton event with a gold in 1999

FIBT World Championships 1999

The FIBT World Championships 1999 took place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and Altenberg, Germany . Cortina hosted the championships for the ninth time, previously doing so in 1937 , 1939 , 1950, 1954, 1960, 1966, 1981, and 1989...

, a silver in 1997

FIBT World Championships 1997

The FIBT World Championships 1997 took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland and Lake Placid, New York, United States . St. Moritz hosted a championship event for the record eighteenth time...

, and a bronze in 2000

FIBT World Championships 2000

The FIBT World Championships 2000 took place in Altenberg, Germany , Winterberg, Germany , and Igls, Austria . Altenberg hosted the championship event for the fourth time, doing so previously in 1991 , 1994 , and 1999...

 (tied for bronze with Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

's Alexander Müller

Alexander Müller (skeleton)

Alexander Müller is an Austrian skeleton racer who competed from 1989 to 2000. He won a bronze medal in the men's skeleton event at the 2000 FIBT World Championships in Igls....

). His best overall seasonal finish in the men's Skeleton World Cup was third twice (1998-9, 2000-1). Shea's efforts and World Championship status assisted in the reintroduction of skeleton as a medal sport.

Shea has since founded The Shea Family foundation which raises money to help kids in sports. He resides in Park City, Utah

Park City, Utah

Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...

, where he is a Board Member of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters and a board member of "Mountain Trails", the largest mountain biking trail system in the country. He currently serves on the Utah Board of Economic Development.
Jimmy is married to an emergency medicine doctor, Dr. Kellee Reed Shea of Orlando, Florida. They have two daughters.