Jack Shea
Long Track Speedskating

Jack

Shea

Olympian 1932

  • 2

    GOLD

  • 0

    SILVER

  • 0

    BRONZE

Athlete Bio#

Jack Shea

Age

Died (Aged 91)

1910-2002

Hometown

Lake Placid, NY

Education

Lake Placid High School (Lake Placid, N.Y.) Dartmouth College

Quick Facts
  • Son of James Shea, who was a state assemblyman
  • Won the North American men’s championships over two consecutive years as just a high school student
  • Took time off from his studies at Dartmouth College to train
  • Was selected to recite the Olympic oath on behalf of all the competitors at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1932
  • Received an outdoor celebration by more than 500 people when he returned to Dartmouth
  • Refused to skate at the 1936 Olympic Winter Games taking place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany because of the direction Germany seemed to be taking in world politics
  • Studied political science in college
  • Attended Albany Law School for a year after college, but left to support his family financially
  • Worked a number of jobs, as a letter carrier, the secretary of golf at the Lake Placid Club, the town justice, etc
  • Father of three sons, Jack, Jim and Michael.
Olympic Experience
  • 1-time Olympian; 2-time Olympic medalist (2 gold)
    • Olympic Games Lake Placid 1932, gold (1500m - Men, 500m - Men)

Jack Shea was a two-time gold medalist in long track speedskating at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1932, becoming the first American to win two golds in a single Winter Games. A Lake Placid, New York, native himself, Shea was inspired by Charles Jewtraw, a fellow Lake Placid resident who triumphed in the 500-meter event of the Chamonix 1924 Games. Shea learned to skate on nearby Lake Mirror, and was crowned U.S. all-distance champion on the same lake in 1929. When the Olympic Winter Games arrived in Lake Placid in 1932, Shea was primed for gold. He won his first gold medal in the 500 with a time of 43.40 seconds, tying an Olympic record. The next day, Shea won his second gold in the 1,500, thus becoming the first American to win two golds in the same Winter Olympic Games. He chose not to defend his title at the Olympic Winter Games Garmisch 1936 out of principle, due to the direction Germany was heading politically. Decades later, Shea helped bring the Olympics back to Lake Placid as a member of the 1980 Olympic Organizing Committee. His family would continue his tradition of Olympic excellence as his son, Jim, competed in cross-country skiing at the Olympic Winter Games Innsbruck 1964, and his grandson, Jim Jr., won the gold medal in skeleton at the Salt Lake City 2002 Games. Shea passed away in January 2002 at the age of 91.

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