Hoarse and out of breath, Scott Hamilton looked up at the crowd of 10,000 gathered in the Great Western Forum Wednesday and shouted, “I win!” The skater had just returned to the ice after an absence of eight months– during which he underwent treatment for testicular cancer–to perform a program full of trademark spins, jumps, splits, twirls and, most of all, joy.
After thanking everyone for their support, Hamilton then took another turn around the ice and performed two back flips. The response was thunderous.
His five-minute program capped an evening of tribute from fellow champion skaters as well as host Jane Seymour, musician Kenny G and singers Gary Morris and Olivia Newton-John, herself a cancer survivor.
“This wasn’t about perfection,” Hamilton said later, winded but giddy with emotion. “It was about taking the first step. I needed tonight to get back to 100 percent.”