Two-time Olympian Heidt retires

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Two-time Olympian Adam Heidt, an eight-year member of the U.S. luge team, is retiring. Heidt, 26, was fourth at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, the best finish for an American in singles.

"At this point in my life, I'm looking for new challenges and goals," Heidt said Monday. "I've been fortunate and lucky over the last 15 years, but it's time now for me to step away and try something else."

Heidt began sliding at age 10. He qualified for the World Cup tour in 1996 and won his first medal, a bronze, in a 1998 meet in Altenberg, Germany. He finished 1998 fourth overall in the World Cup rankings.

Last season he competed in just one event, the U.S. Championships, in which he finished third.