On the Button

Button lost only twice over a 10-year spell from 1943

Richard "Dick" Button is a man who likes to excel at whatever he takes on.

Be it ice skating, law or commentating, to name but three of his skills, he generally does excel.

But the American has not reached the top solely through blind will and dedication.

Button is a flamboyant innovator who pushed the boundaries of his sport in pursuit of perfection.

That same nature that shone through his routines on the ice is now captured in his extravagant and erudite commentaries on the sport.

Button first donned a pair of skates as an 11-year-old.

Within a decade he had captured figure skating's Grand Slam.

Seven-year stretch

1946 - US champion
1947 - North American & US champion
1948 - Olympic, World, European, North American & US champion
1949 - World, North American & US champion
1950 - World, North American & US champion
1951 - World, North American & US champion
1952 - Olympic, World, North American & US champion

At the age of 18 he not only became the youngest Olympic male champion but he also carried off national, North American, European and World titles as well.

The Harvard freshman went into the post-war St Moritz games having already made his mark on the American skating scene.

In Switzerland he dazzled the crowds and judges alike with his artistry and athleticism on the ice.

But the aspect of his final routine that amazed everyone was the risk that he took in securing gold by becoming the first person to successfully complete a double axel in competition.

He had only landed the jump for the first time in practice two days beforehand.

Button was ranked first by eight of the nine judges with only the host nation's judge voting for the Swiss world champion Hans Gerschwiler.

Four years later the American was awarded first place by all the judges after he had again unveiled, and successfully landed, a new jump at the Olympics.

Gold would have been his anyway, but to ignore a challenge and to win within himself was not Button's style.

Nobody had ever performed a triple jump in competition before, but the 22-year-old threw caution to the wind and took flight.

"The wind cut my eyes and the coldness caused tears to stream down my cheeks," Button explained of the moment in Oslo.

Button hits the heights in training

"Up! Up! Height was vital. Round and around again in a spin which took only a fraction of a second to complete before it landed on a clean steady back edge.

"I pulled away breathless, excited, overjoyed, as applause rolled from the faraway stands like the rumbling of a distant pounding sea."

His two Olympic golds sandwiched the Sullivan Award which he was presented with in 1949 as America's leading amateur athlete.

However after his second gold he turned his back on the amateur ranks and turned professional, touring with the "Ice Capades."

He toured at the same time as completing his law degree at Harvard, and after graduating he was admitted to the bar of Washington DC.

Button also set up his own television company, but as well as being an entrepeneur he has also appeared on the other side of the camera as an actor.

However, off the ice he remains in the limelight by commentating on those on it and won an Emmy in 1981 for being an Outstanding Sports Analyst.

Button will be rink side at Salt Lake City where it is unlikely that anybody either on the ice or off it will match his flair and innovation.