Book Scott Hamilton

Scott Hamilton is an American figure skater and Olympic champion who won gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. He dominated the sport in the early 1980s, taking four consecutive World Championships and four consecutive U.S. titles from 1981 to 1984. His rise began in 1980, when a third-place finish at the national championships put him on the Olympic team, and at those 1980 Games he finished fifth and was the U.S. flag bearer at the opening ceremony. His big moment came at the 1981 U.S. Championships, where the crowd rose to its feet before his program had even ended, and from that point he did not lose another amateur competition. Hamilton was famed for his crowd-pleasing backflip, a move few skaters could perform and one that was not permitted in eligible competition, so he saved it for exhibitions and later used it in professional events. He was equally admired for inventive footwork. In retirement from competition he has worked as an Olympic analyst, devoted himself to charitable work and written three books, including The Great Eight (2009). He was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990.