Scott Scovell Hamilton (born August 28, 1958) is a retired American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist.

He has two siblings, older sister Susan (his parents' biological daughter) and younger brother Steven (who was also adopted).

After numerous tests and several wrong diagnoses (including a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis that gave him just six months to live), the disease began to correct itself.

He was told the doctor had no idea what was wrong and to go home and stop the diets in order to live a normal life.

Years later, it was determined that a congenital brain tumor was the root cause of his childhood illness.

However, Helen and Frank McLoraine stepped in to provide financial support for Hamilton to continue his training.

[10] He finished in fifth place at the 1980 Winter Olympics, where he also had the honor of carrying the American flag in the opening ceremony.

Hamilton's victory ended a 24-year gold medal drought for US men in Olympic figure skating.

Figure skating writer and historian Ellyn Kestnbaum, in her critique of male figure skating, called the costumes Hamilton wore during the 1984 Olympics an attempt to mitigate the "erotic affect"[16] of the one-piece, Disco-influenced outfits popular with many male skaters at the time.

She described Hamilton's costumes as "simple stretch suits in one color ornamated only by a simple geometic shape in a contasting color", which resembled a warm-up or speed skating suit that emphasized the "acceptable male sport aspect" of figure skating.

[citation needed] He was also seen in the 2008 The Fairly OddParents episode "The Fairy Oddlympics" as Timmy Turner's co-host.

[citation needed] He appeared on the August 26, 2008 episode of Wanna Bet?, where he finished 2nd, losing to Bill Engvall.

[18] He made a small appearance on Roseanne as himself, participating in a mock linoleum skating competition credit sequence.

The two-hour television special chronicled Hamilton's return to skating after battling cancer.

In 2009, Hamilton wrote the book The Great Eight, which shared the secrets to his happiness and how he overcame numerous challenges and disappointments throughout his life.

[citation needed] In 2018, he wrote the book Finish First: Winning Changes Everything (publisher: Thomas Nelson), about the value of competition.

[23] Hamilton is a Christian and has said about his faith, "I understand that through a strong relationship with Jesus you can endure anything... God is there to guide you through the tough spots.

"[34][35] He founded the Scott Hamilton Cares Foundation to assist with cancer patient support.