Ireland’s Clifton Wrottesley finished agonizingly out of the medals to claim fourth place in the men’s skeleton in Salt Lake City, Utah today.
Wrottesley held the bronze position after the first run but slipped to fourth after the second and final run with a combined time of 1 minute 42.57 seconds, conceding bronze to Gregor Staehli (1:42.15) of Switzerland.
American Jim Shea claimed gold with a combined aggregate of 1 minute 41.96 seconds while Austria’s Martin Rettl (1:42.01) held on to his silver medal position from the first run.
Wrottesley, an Irish born British Lord who lives in London, gave an indication of his ability to challenge at the top level when he finished fourth and seventh in the training heats yesterday.
It was an emotional win for Shea who is a third generation Olympian, his grandfather Jack won two speed skating golds in 1932 at Lake Placid and his father competed as a nordic combined athlete at the 1964 Innsbruck.
In a sport which is renowned attracting eccentrics, the skeleton adopts the same kamikaze style as the luge except competitors race down a U-shaped tunnel head-first on their belly instead of feet-first on their back.
It has been 54 years since the skeleton event made last made an appearance at the Winter Olympics.
Final results of the Men’s Skeleton:
1. Jim Shea (U.S.) 1 minute 41.96 seconds
2. Martin Rettl (Austria) 1:42.01
3. Gregor Staehli (Switzerland) 1:42.15
4. Clifton Wrottesley (Ireland) 1:42.57
Results from the first run:
1. Jim Shea (U.S.) 50.89 seconds
2. Martin Rettl (Austria) 51.02
3. Clifton Wrottesley (Ireland) 51.07