Dorothy Hamill

American figure skater who won 1976 Olympic gold with a routine containing no triple jumps, and became a cultural icon for her signature wedge haircut.

Dorothy Stuart Hamill was born on 26 July 1956 in Chicago, Illinois, and started skating at age eight on a frozen pond behind her grandparents' home. She trained under coach Carlo Fassi in Denver, Colorado, becoming U.S. national champion three years running from 1974 to 1976, after finishing runner-up at the World Championships in both 1974 and 1975. At the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics, 19-year-old Hamill delivered a near-flawless free skate to music from Captain Blood, highlighted by her signature move — a camel spin transitioning into a sit spin, which became known as the 'Hamill Camel'. She won gold unanimously, becoming the last skater in history to win Olympic gold without a triple jump in her routine, and went on to win the World Championship weeks later in Gothenburg, Sweden. Hamill's short wedge haircut, created by stylist Yusuke Suga, sparked a nationwide hairstyle trend and made her a household name as 'America's Sweetheart'. She turned professional immediately, headlining Ice Capades from 1977 to 1984 and later purchasing and running the company. She won five consecutive World Professional Championships from 1983 to 1987, and has since become a mental health and breast cancer awareness advocate, sharing her own struggles with depression and cancer publicly.

Athletic yet graceful skater known for inventing the 'Hamill camel' spin and combining strong technical elements with elegant lines

An enduring American cultural icon whose Olympic win and image transcended sport, remembered as one of skating's most beloved champions

• 1976 Olympic Gold Medal
• 1976 World Champion
• 3x U.S. National Champion (1974-1976)
• 5x World Professional Champion (1983-1987)