time and realize we were smart and lucky to have had that frame of mind.” Like many other host cities, Sarajevo
built brand-new facilities especially for the 1984 Games, including Zetra Hall, where all of the figure skating events were held. Tough the ice arena would eventually be destroyed by bombing and fires from the Bosnian War in 1992, the facility was an ultramodern competition space when it opened in 1983. Te intimate venue was unlike any
others Hamilton had performed in. “Zetra was small compared to the
buildings that had held the World Champi- onships,” he said. “It was small enough that you could see the entire audience without even trying.”
Te facility also presented problems for
the skaters. “It was very loud — I remember freak- ing out during my warm-up for the short program,” Hamilton said. “It was so loud that I got a giant adrenaline rush that pre- vented me from being able to concentrate.” Tere was an unfinished quality to
Zetra Hall as well. “My most vivid memory was the smell
of wet paint,” he said. “Te construction was still going on during the Games, and you had to be careful where you sat.” Te men’s competition kicked off with
the compulsory figures, where Hamilton was unmatched by any of his competitors. Despite being unnerved by the loudness in Zetra Hall in the short program, he per- formed well, placing second overall. Like most skaters
in his position,
Hamilton longed for a storybook ending to cap off his trip to Sarajevo — a performance that would be as close to perfection as hu- manly possible, a skating program that he could happily relive for the rest of his life. But as the old saying goes, sometimes
things don’t go as planned. “Te day of the long program, I was
sick as a dog,” Hamilton said. “Te right side of my head was so full that I couldn’t hear my own voice in my brain and my bal- ance was way off. I knew I had a huge lead, but I still wanted it to be the best long pro- gram ever.”
As he skated to the center of the ice to
begin his free skate, Hamilton was all busi- ness, fully concentrating on what he needed to do. He started his free skate with a breezy triple Lutz but then popped his next jump, a triple flip. Te rest of the routine was sol- id, and the small mistake was barely a blip in his overall performance. “It felt like I was out there for 20 min- utes, not 4 1/2 minutes,” he said. “But it was good enough to secure the gold.” During the medal ceremony, he was
well aware that, like it or not, his life was about to change. “Tere was one moment while standing
16 FEBRUARY 2014
Hamilton and coach Don Laws go over details at the 1981 World Championships in Hartford, Conn.
Hamilton continues to serve as one of the sport’s greatest ambassadors and is a highly sought-after motivational speaker.
Hamilton says his Olympic triumph in 1984 set the tone for the rest of his life.
on the podium where I felt like I was looking over the edge of a cliff,” Hamilton revealed. When athletes reach their ultimate goal, such as winning an Olympic title, they deal with a plethora of feelings, he explained. “Te only way to describe it is you are
experiencing every possible emotion at the same time,” he said. “Exultation for realizing a dream. Pride in your country. Sadness that the journey is officially over. Desperation of not knowing how to thank all the people that made that moment happen. Devastation that everything you have ever been in your life has now changed drastically.” Tose three performances in the com-
pulsories, short and free skate programs would shape many areas of his life. “To this day, everything I am as a profes- sional was made possible by those few min- utes I spent on the ice in Sarajevo,” Hamilton said. “At the time it meant I was true to an unbelievable set of circumstances that I never would have thought to ask for. Ultimately winning a gold medal at the Olympics is a gigantic event that offers a window of oppor- tunity to create a professional life.” After the Sarajevo Olympics, he be- gan a highly successful professional skating career that lasted 20 years. In addition to competing in numerous professional events and television specials, Hamilton, along with Bob Kain of IMG, cofounded Stars on Ice. Te tour was created due to the lack of opportunities for professional skaters at the time. Hamilton is still involved with the show as a producer. Today though, he is officially retired
from skating, choosing to focus on his main priority — his family. “Te most important aspect of my life
is my family,” Hamilton said. “I stopped skating to be home with my wife (Tracie) and two boys (Aidan and Maxx).” His Olympic win has allowed him to branch out into other areas as well, in- cluding philanthropic activities. Hamilton continues to raise funds for cancer research through his C.A.R.E.S. (Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship) Initiative at the Cleveland Clinic, which was founded in 1999. Te Cleveland Clin- ic holds special meaning for Hamilton, as he was treated there for testicular cancer in 1997, as well as 2004 and again in 2010 for battles with a pituitary brain tumor. He will also be at the Olympic Games
in Sochi, Russia, as a commentator for NBC. And though a new men’s champion will be crowned in Sochi, it’s impossible to forget about Hamilton’s irreplaceable con- tribution to the sport.
“Te ‘Classes of 1984 and 1988’ had an
awesome impact on the popularity of the sport,” he said. “A lot of those names are fad- ing in memory, but for the years they graced the ice, there was never-been-seen excite- ment. I was honored to be a part of it.”
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