Hamilton, Scott
Figure Skating
b. Aug. 28, 1958, Toledo, OH
An adopted child, Hamilton stopped growing when he was two years old. He was eventually diagnosed as having Swachman-Diamond syndrome, a partial paralysis of the intestinal tract that prevents the body from absorbing nutrients, and a special diet and exercise cured the problem. However, he grew to only 5-foot-2½ and he weighed only 108 pounds during his peak skating years.
After briefly trying gymnastics, Hamilton took up figure skating when he was nine and didn't become a champion until he was twenty-two. But then he became unbeatable, winning sixteen consecutive competitions, including the U. S. and world championships from 1981 through 1984 and the gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Although he was a brilliant free skater at his best, his excellence in the compulsories often gave him a nearly insurmountable lead. In the 1984 Olympics, Brian Orser of Canada had higher scores in the short and long programs but couldn't overcome the advantage Hamilton had gained in the compulsory figures.
Hamilton became a professional after the 1984 season and started his own show, Stars on Ice, in 1986.
Hamilton was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March of 1997, but he overcame that to return to skating. He retired in 2001.