Olympic skeleton dominated by USA

PARK CITY, Utah, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- With an American eagle on his helmet and a photograph of his grandfather under it, Jim Shea won the gold medal in skeleton Wednesday under a steady snowfall at Utah Olympic Park.

Shea finished with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 41.96 seconds, using a late burst of speed on the track slowed by the falling snow to beat Austrian Martin Rettl by .05.

"I knew what I had to do," Shea said. "My coach said I was going to win the gold medal and I believed it. I'm so happy to be here."

Gregor Staehli of Switzerland claimed bronze in the event, a face-first version of luge that returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1948.

The United States also went gold-silver in the first-ever skeleton event for women with Tristan Gale edging teammate Lea Ann Parsley and favorite Alex Coomber of Britain settling for bronze.

Shea was considered a medal contender coming into the Games and became a sentimental favorite last month when his grandfather -- 1932 double gold medalist Jack Shea -- was killed in a car accident.

"I felt him here today and at the Opening Ceremony," said Shea, who also carried one of his grandfather's medals. "I think he had some unfinished business before he went to heaven. Now I think he can go."

The first third-generation Olympian, Shea had the support of 15,000 screaming fans, including his father, former nordic skier James Shea.

"My grandpa was with me the whole way, but it wasn't just my grandpa," Shea said. "I had a lot of support from cousins and other family members."

Gale also had the support of fans lining the course and teammates, particularly Parsley, who nearly bowled over the gold medal winner with a bearhug after the final run.

"When I saw Lee Ann finish, I started crying," said Gale, who was worried about sledding through the snow with her 115-pound frame. "We're teammates, it doesn't matter who wins as long as we're together."

Parsley took the lead with the penultimate run of the day, amassing a combined time of 1:45.21. But Gale was second-fastest in the last heat and finished .10 seconds ahead of Parsley, who said she was not disappointed.

"I don't care what color it is," she said of her medal. "After watching Jimmy win his gold, it just felt good to see our program have such a great day."

It was a great day for Britain also, even though Coomber, the reigning World Cup champion, had to settle for bronze. It was was Britain's first medal of the Games.

"In Britain, there are quite a lot of critics," Coomber said. "They don't understand what the Olympics are like for a country that doesn't really have very good facilities."