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American Morning

Dorothy Hamill Discusses Skating Upset

Aired February 22, 2002 - 08:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat were both plain to see during the breathtaking Olympic figure skating final.

And joining us from Salt Lake City is former Olympic gold medal winner Dorothy Hamill. Great to see you again.

DOROTHY HAMILL, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Thank you. It's nice to see you. Sorry for the glasses, it's a little early.

ZAHN: Hey, listen, we appreciate your getting up so early in the morning for us.

HAMILL: My pleasure.

ZAHN: So were you just as -- were you just -- I mean everybody knew Sarah Hughes was a great skater going into this.

HAMILL: Yes.

ZAHN: But were you just as shocked as everybody else when she nailed that incredibly ambitious routine?

HAMILL: Yes, of course. And, you know, she was the underdog coming in. We all knew that she skated magnificently. But, you know, we were all hoping for Michelle still yet to come. But, you know, Sarah Hughes skated to win last night. She was the best last night. And it was just so nice to see somebody that came in and let it all go, and she deserved it. She really did.

ZAHN: Explain to us how much the athleticism of the sport has changed. I mean now we've got Tara Lipinski and Sarah Hughes pulling off these extremely challenging jumps. What did Sarah do, three triple something -- you know those combinations, what they're called.

HAMILL: Yes...

ZAHN: And they were in the first minute and a half of her routine.

HAMILL: Right. The triple-triple combinations, which are pretty much unheard of, Sarah does with absolute ease. And the ones last night she executed were absolutely flawless. They were light, they were high. They were just sort of what you want to see, textbook perfection. And it's amazing to me. I wouldn't have any idea of how to tell you to do them, but they were beautiful and it was awesome to watch. It really was.

ZAHN: So what is the bottom line here? You have to be a teenager to be able to pull that off physically?

HAMILL: I think you do, actually. I really do. If you don't learn those jumps and those combinations early on you can't learn them later. I mean there's always an exception to the rule. But in general, you really have to learn those at a very, very young age so they become second nature.

ZAHN: Let's talk...

HAMILL: Yes, I can't imagine.

ZAHN: Let's talk about Michelle Kwan's heartbreak for a moment. She has won -- racked up more championships than just about any other skater among women. This was the medal that continued to elude her. What happened?

HAMILL: It was -- it was devastating. There were 15,000 people in that arena last night that were absolutely in shock. She had everybody behind her; everybody wanting and hoping. And it wasn't enough. She needed to be more aggressive.

I talked to her quite a bit afterwards and I've never seen her -- she was disappointed. She felt she disappointed her father. And I think it's such a shame that she would feel that, because her father just wants the best for her. But she was devastated. I have never, ever seen Michelle like that. And, of course, we're all sad and heartbroken for her. It was a shame.

We all wanted her to win. She's been at that level for so many years. And, as you say, she's won everything. And this one she wanted for herself. But unfortunately it didn't happen.

ZAHN: And she was so focused in on it. I remember hearing from her former coach that she sat and she replayed over and over again the videotape from the last Olympics to figure out what had -- not tripped her up, but cost her a gold medal. And she -- I guess in the end, she felt like she skated well but she hadn't gone for it. Well she certainly went for it last night, because even at the end of the routine she added in a triple that had not been planned, right, to try to make up the deficit?

HAMILL: She did. She -- I asked her. I said, "How did you feel out there?" And she said, "Well, I felt kind of shaky in the warm up." And so much of it rides on just how you feel, not necessarily how you skate in the warm up, but how you feel in the warm up. She said she made the first mistake -- the first jump she landed on two feet in her program, and she said, "I just -- I fought for it, but I just couldn't do it."

And it's one of those things when you're out there as a competitor and you're fighting for every single move and every single jump. And sometimes you just can't make it happen. You know, and it's all in the cards and it was just a shame.

ZAHN: Dorothy...

HAMILL: And then the fall, of course. The fall, of course, that was the end, unfortunately.

ZAHN: I imagine when you watch these fantastic female skaters there's a part of you that's still out there on the ice.

HAMILL: Well, actually, I think there is a small part. But, you know, I see it so differently now than I did even just 10 years ago. As a parent, I just see these beautiful young children who skate, sleep, eat, to win the Olympics. And I'm out there -- my heart and soul is out with them because I want them all to skate well and I want them all to win.

I can't even imagine the pressure that these kids are under today. It's so different.

And they're all remarkable. You know, they all deserve a gold medal for all the hard work that they've put into it, and their families and their coaches.

ZAHN: Well it doesn't seem all that long ago that we were, I remember, at a public appearance you made. I was among those lined up to get your autograph. We have a wonderful shot of your...

HAMILL: You're kidding? Oh, no.

ZAHN: ... actually getting Sarah Hughes' autograph here. What are you going to do with that?

HAMILL: I did. I'm going to frame it. I'm an absolute fan -- "TIME" magazine. I mean it's incredible. She's very deserving of it and I hope she takes this time and really enjoys every moment of her victory.

ZAHN: Well we certainly still look up to your Olympic feats and we are delighted that you would not get any sleep last night and wake up basically in the middle of the night there to join us this morning. Thank you, Dorothy.

HAMILL: My pleasure. Thank you very much.

ZAHN: Continued good luck to you.

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