Cheek Gets Closing Ceremony Honor

Speedskater Joey Cheek, the winner of two medals at the Winter Games who ignited a fundraising effort that has raised more than $300,000 for the nonprofit group Right to Play, was named the U.S. flag-bearer for Sunday’s closing ceremony.

“It’s an honor and I’m humbled by it,” Cheek, 26, said after being elected by his American teammates Friday.

A bronze medalist in the 1,000 meters in 2002, Cheek won a gold medal in the 500 meters and silver in the 1,000 in Turin.

He donated the U.S. Olympic Committee bonuses of $25,000 and $15,000 to Right to Play.

Alan Abrahamson

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U.S. aerials skier Jeret Peterson was sent home from the Games after a night of partying ended with his getting into a fight that police had to break up.

A number of U.S. freestyle team skiers, coaches and officials had gathered socially Thursday night after the men’s aerials finals in their mountain venue at Sauze D’Oulx, some staying out at a dance club until early Friday morning.

Tom Kelly, communications director for the U.S. ski team, said Peterson, who’d finished seventh Thursday, and friend Mason Fuller, an American who is not affiliated with the team, were seen fighting at a bus stop at around 9 a.m. Friday. He was not arrested or charged.

Kelly said he had been told Peterson appeared to be drunk, but he could not verify that.

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U.S. skeleton athlete Kevin Ellis of Dallas, who broke a vertebra in his middle back in a non-competition accident Thursday night in Sestriere, underwent surgery at CTO Hospital in Turin.

Ellis, 32, finished 17th in the skeleton competition.

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Defending men’s Olympic slalom champion Jean-Pierre Vidal of France was injured skiing for fun and is uncertain to start in today’s race.

“He hurt his left arm ... ,” said Gerard Rougier, French ski team technical director. “He is undergoing tests. We are afraid he may have broken something.”

Vidal, who turned 29 Friday, had planned to retire after today’s race.

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The grandfather of U.S. short-track speedskater Kimberly Derrick died of an apparent heart attack while in Turin to watch her compete in her first Olympics.

It was not immediately known whether Derrick would compete in her lone individual event of these Games, tonight’s 1,000 meters.

Darrel Edwards, 74, traveled from Memphis, Tenn., to cheer on his granddaughter, who also was part of the 3,000 relay team that finished fourth this week.