Lake Placid, NY (My Sportsbook) - Jim Shea Jr., the 2002 Olympic gold medalist in skeleton, announced his retirement on Monday.

The 37-year-old Shea, a third-generation Olympian, made his decision after he failed to land one of four spots for the U.S. World Cup team. Shea informed head coach Tim Nardiello in Calgary after his final run in the trials for the World Cup team.

Eric Bernotas, Zach Lund, Caleb Smith and Kevin Ellis were named to the men's World Cup team. Chris Soule, the 2003 World Cup champion, barely missed making the squad, but can be added by the coaches throughout the season if any of the other four members do not have a top 12 finish on any track.

Shea had major surgery on his left leg following the 2002 Olympics and took a year off.

Less than a month before the Salt Lake City Games, Shea's grandfather, Jack Shea, winner of two gold medals in speedskating at the 1932 Winter Olympics, died from injuries in a car accident. He was 91.

Jim Shea Sr. participated in the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria and competed in Nordic skiing.

Katie Uhlaender, Katie Koczynski and Lyndsie Peterson were selected for the women's World Cup team. The fourth spot was awarded to 2005 World Cup Champion Noelle Pikus-Pace, who suffered a compound fracture of her lower right leg during an accident last Wednesday when she was hit by an American four-man bobsled.

Pikus-Pace underwent surgery on the leg and was given a spot on the team as a medical waiver. She's hoping to recover in time to partake in the second half of the World Cup season with a shot at making the 2006 Winter Games in Torino.

In the meantime, 2002 Olympic gold medalist Tristan Gale is taking the spot of Pikus-Pace on the World Cup roster.

Lea Ann Parsley, the 2002 Olympic silver medalist, barely missed the team, but can be added throughout the season if any of the athletes don't have a top 12 finish on any track.