Scott Hamilton Biography

Fast Facts

• Won 15 consecutive world championships by 1984, going on to win the Olympic gold medal that same year
• Founded the Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative in 1999 to fund cancer research and patient mentorship
• Was chosen as the flag bearer for the United States at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics Opening Ceremonies
• In his youth he suffered from Shwachman syndrome, which caused him to have limited nutrient absorption and a shorter stature
• Was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997, from which he recovered, and was later diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2010, which he had surgery for and recovered again
• Started out as a hockey player but soon chose figure skating instead, becoming a competitive skater at the age of 11
• Quote: "The year before the 1984 Olympics was my most intensive year of training․ I thought about the Olympics daily, and I visualized them daily․ I was not going to wait until the last minute to train․ Instead, I treated every practice like a competition․"
• Quote: "After losing my mother to cancer, and being in the hands of a tremendous team of women caregivers while I battled my own cancer, I have made it a personal mission to advocate for women and cancer․"
• Co-founder of the touring skating production "Stars on Ice" and also skated in "Ice Capades" and "Celebration on Ice․"
• Best known as a figure skater and Olympic gold medalist