John Napier practically grew up on the bobsled track at Mount Van Hoevenberg. For one day, he owned it.

While his mom Betsy rang her giant golden cowbell, the 22-year-old Napier slid the race of his dreams yesterday, beating U.S. teammate Steven Holcomb to win a World Cup two-man race on his home track at Lake Placid.

Napier and brakeman Charles Berkeley defeated Holcomb and brakeman Justin Olsen by 0.26 seconds with a combined two-run time of 1 minute, 53.62 seconds.

Ivo Ruegg and Roman Handschin of Switzerland were third. Pierre Lueders and brakeman David Bissett of Canada finished fourth.

It was the first podium finish for Napier, who is competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. That it came on the track where his late father Bill, former president of the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, competed made it more special.

"To have a win at my home track is just awesome," said Napier, who first saw the track when his mom tucked him under her coat and walked it when he was 2 weeks old. "I hope I served my father's legacy well."

Marcel Hirscher of Austria beat Steve Missillier of France to win the second edition of the parallel slalom Champions Cup on a giant ramp in a promotion of Alpine ski events for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Therese Borssen of Sweden edged world champion Maria Riesch of Germany in the first women's event yesterday.

Fans will have a chance to design the artwork that appears on star skier Lindsey Vonn's helmet during February's Vancouver Olympics. NBC said Wednesday that fans as young as 13 can submit entries online starting tomorrow until Dec. 21. A team of judges will narrow the entries to three finalists, which will be displayed on NBCOlympics.com in early January. Fans will then be able to vote for their favorite, though Vonn will have the final say. Vonn is the two-time defending overall World Cup champion.

U.S. curler Chris Plys will appear on a new reality show and try to win some cash to get his family to the 2010 Olympics, including his ill father. Plys, an alternate on the men's curling team for the Vancouver Games, will be part of "Bank of Hollywood" on the E! network. The eight-episode show, produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions, is scheduled to debut Dec. 14. Celebrity judges will award their own money to the participants seeking it, with a minimum of $2,000. Plys' dad has been battling brain cancer for several years.

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