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Nothing was wrong with his theatrical instincts, however. After the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner at the medal ceremony, Hamilton grabbed an American flag and skated an exhilarating victory lap around the arena with it. When it was all over, Hamilton reflected, "The whole last four years have been for this night. I've worked so hard, trained so hard, waited so long. I wanted it to be special. I wanted my greatest program. It wasn't my best, but I did it. I came here to win the gold medal. Maybe it wasn't pretty, but I did it. I feel like I just fell off the edge of the world." —By B.J. Phillips