Who was the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating?

Richard Totten "Dick" Button was the first American to win a gold medal in figure skating when he competed in the 1948 Olympic Games at St. Moritz, Switzerland. At 18 years, 205 days old, he was (and still is) the youngest man to win Olympic gold in figure skating.

He is credited as having been the first men's single skater to successfully land the double axel jump in competition, which won him the gold medal at the 1948 Olympics. He was the first to land a triple jump (a triple loop) which won him the gold medal in the 1952 Olympics at Oslo, Norway. He created the flying camel spin, originally known as the "Button camel".

He was born July 18, 1929, in Englewood, NJ. He started skating early, but he did not take it seriously until he was 12. He entered his first competition at the age of 14 and came in 2nd place in 1943. In 1944 he won the Eastern States Junior title, earning him the opportunity to compete at the National Novice Championships, which he won. In 1945 he won the Eastern States Senior title and the National Junior titles. In 1946. at age 16, he won the U.S. Championship, a title he held for the next 9 years. This qualified him to compete in the 1947 North American Championship which he won in 1947, 1949 and 1951, as well as the World Championship, where he placed 2nd in 1947 but placed 1st in 1948 - 1952.

In 1960 he became a well known decades-long skating television analyst. He was inducted into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1976.