Dorothy Hamill

In 1976, Hamill began the year by winning her third consecutive U.S. championships. There was some controversy as some believed the judges scored her generously. Hamill received scores of 5.8 and 5.9 out of 6.0 though she took out the loop and flip jumps of her program. She followed this up with a gold medal performance at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. She won despite a big scare. She was walking with coach Fassi when a car carrying another skater and coach approached them. Fassi pushed her out of the way, but the car accelerated and would have hit her had she not been moved by him.

Despite Hamill's victory at the U.S. championships, she had not been favored to win the gold medal at the Olympics because she had finished second at the world championships two years in a row. She had the lead after the compulsory figures, but had an emotional moment after seeing a sign that read "Dorothy, Wicked Witch of the West." But Hamill pulled it together. She scored a perfect 6.0 in the short program, and kept her lead after the freeskate to win the gold medal. Hamill later said it was her best competition as an amateur.

After the Olympics, Hamill went on to win the World Championships in 1976, at the competition at Göteborg, Germany. She won both the compulsories and the free skate. By this time, Hamill was considered the best freestyle skater in the world and considered "America's Sweetheart." However, her skating style would be considered somewhat dated now. Hamill's most difficult jump was the double axel, and she could not land a triple salchow consistently.

Hamill's jumps got higher later and she learned to better blend artistry and athleticism. But she explained to Vicki Michaelis of the Denver Post that jumps should not be valued over artistry, or vice versa. "I don't think skating should be limited to one or the other. I think it should be absolutely both. I guess I've been sort of frustrated over the years where people say it has to be one or it has to be the other … I think that's part of the appeal of skating, that some people like the grace and beauty, some people like the athleticism and some people just like the entertainment value of it."