Salt Lake City, Olympic Medals Plaza, 24 February 2002: Brian SHIMER and Mike KOHN of the United States listen to the applause after receiving their bronze medals of the men's 2-man bobsleigh at the medal awards ceremony during the XIX Olympic Winter Games. Credit: Getty Images/John GichigiOther names: BRIAN SHIMER, B. Shimer
SHIMER, Brian Lee
Born: 20 April 1962
Birthplace: Naples (United-States)
Nationality: Naples (United-States)
Sport: Bobsleigh
ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Calgary 1988
Albertville 1992
Lillehammer 1994
Salt Lake City 2002
AWARDS
Olympic medals:
Bronze: 1
Details
Other results:
World Championships
Bronze: 3 (93, 97)
The Fifth Time is the Charm
Brian Shimer competed in the Olympics for the first time in 1988, only 2½ years after his fist slide down a bobsleigh run. He placed 16th in the four-man event. At the 1992 Albertville Games, he switched to the two-man event and finished seventh. He was back in 1994, but took the 13th place. In 1998, Shimer qualified for both bobsleigh events at the Nagano Olympics. He placed tenth in the two-man race. Although his fifth-place finish in the four-man was his best yet, it was also his most agonizing because he missed a medal by only two hundredths of a second. Refusing to give up, Shimer qualified for the Olympics a fifth time in 2002, this time in the four-man. By now he was 39 years old and it appeared to be his last chance to compete in the Olympics. Teamed with Mike Kohn, Doug Sharp and Dan Steele, Shimer was in only fifth place after the first two of four heats. However he improved dramatically the second day. By recording the fastest time of the fourth and final run, Shimer moved into third place and successfully completed his 14-year quest for an Olympic medal.
