Shea follows the script to skeleton gold

If ever a gold medal was written into the script of a Winter Olympics, it was for Jim Shea in Salt Lake City and on Wednesday he took his designated place at the top of the podium by winning the men's skeleton.

A month after his grandfather, a double speedskating gold medallist in 1932, was killed in a car crash at the age of 91, the American grabbed victory by 0.05 seconds from Austrian world champion Martin Rettl.

"I definitely felt him here today," Shea, the first triple generation Winter Olympian, told reporters after winning the race with his speed out of the final corner.

"I definitely felt him at the opening ceremony. I think he had some unfinished business before he went up to heaven and now he can go."

Shea carried the torch with his father James at the opening ceremony and recited the athletes' oath, just as grandfather John had 70 years ago.

Janica Kostelic ignited huge celebrations in her native Croatia when she negotiated a treacherous piste in steady snow to win the women's slalom, her second gold of the Games.

The 20-year-old, already the combined champion and super-G silver medallist, beat France's Laure Pequegnot by 0.07 seconds on a slope she called "possibly the worst slalom course I've ever skied on. It was full of bumps and holes."

Shots were fired into the air across Croatia's capital Zagreb and Prime Minister Ivica Racan told state radio: "This shows what you can do if you have confidence in your abilities, persistence and work."

BIATHLON MASTER

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen proved himself the master of biathlon by winning his fourth gold medal of the Games, anchoring the 4x7.5 km relay quartet to an upset win over champions Germany.

Steady snow fell throughout the morning at Soldier Hollow, making shooting doubly difficult, but the first three in the Norwegian team excelled to give Bjoerndalen a minute's lead which he did not squander.

Norway have equalled their previous highest tally of 10 golds recorded at the past two Winter Games while Germany, thanks to gold and silver in the women's 1,500 meters speedskating, have broken the record for the number of medals won at a single Winter Olympics.

Anni Friesinger, the pin-up of women's speed skating, broke her own world record to win the 1,500 metres ahead of team mate Sabine Voelker.

Friesinger clocked one minute 54.02 seconds, shaving more than three tenths of a second off her previous mark, set in Calgary last March, and made up for non-medal performances in the 1,000 and 3,000 metres.

Germany have 31 medals, including nine golds. The previous record of 29 was set by the Soviet Union in the 1988 Calgary Games and equalled by Germany in Nagano four years ago.

The U.S. have eight golds after American Tristan Gale won the inaugural women's skeleton event ahead of compatriot Lea Ann Parsley with Alex Coomber giving Britain its first medal of these Games by finishing third.

Qualifiers Belarus pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic ice hockey history by beating Sweden 4-3 to advance to the semifinals, thanks to a terrible mistake by netminder Tommy Salo late in the third period.

Russia edged past defending champions Czech Republic 1-0.