The attack suffered by Nancy Kerrigan, the ice princess, before the 1994 Winter Games had a major impact. Tonya Harding, the villain of a case which has never been resolved.
"Why?, why?, why?" The reaction of a very distressed Nancy Kerrigan rocked American sport on 6 January 1994. The ice skating princess suffered an attack after a routine training workout in preparation for the Lillehammer Winter Games - she was struck with an iron bar as she made her way back to the locker room. From that very moment, scandal and conspiracy theories snowballed into a tale of violence, envy and ambition - with all the ingredients of an authentic melodrama. A victim who everyone adored (Kerrigan), the intrigue of the police investigation and the suspicions about who was behind the attack - a villain from a very different background - the coarse and vulgar America, far removed from the aesthetic perfection of a sport so defined by class as ice skating. The person implicated in the crime was Tonya Harding (Portland, United States, 1970), Kerrigan’s chief rival, but who never enjoyed the same adoration from the public. Both were considered to the the ice skaters of the moment but perceived very differently, Harding was viewed as being rough and brash - in sharp contrast to the delicate refinement associated with skating. Harding’s life had never been easy, she had been a victim of physical and emotional abuse from her mother and later by her husband. Born in a caravan, and raised in harsh surroundings, where pockmarks of violence marked the rest of her life.
CHILDHOOD
Born into a poor family
LAVONA GOLDEN,
Her mother
MARRIAGE
A toxic relationship
From humble origins, it was
almost impossible for her to
be accepted into a highly elitist
sport - one which continued to
punish her for it throughout her
career.
Tonya stated that her mother abused her
and hit her. She resented the sacrifices she
had made, working double shifts to pay for
her daughter’s skating classes and threw
it back in her face. She would humiliate her
so that she gave her best.
With a life centered on skating and
having dropped out of school, Tonya
married her first love when she was
still a teenager, so that she could finally
flee her mother's house. Her husband,
Jeff Gillooly, soon began beating her.
CHILDHOOD
Born into a poor family
LAVONA GOLDEN,
Her mother
MARRIAGE
A toxic relationship
From humble origins, it was
almost impossible for her to
be accepted into a highly elitist
sport - one which continued to
punish her for it throughout her
career.
Tonya stated that her mother abused her
and hit her. She resented the sacrifices she
had made, working double shifts to pay for
her daughter’s skating classes and threw
it back in her face. She would humiliate her
so that she gave her best.
With a life centered on skating and
having dropped out of school, Tonya
married her first love when she was
still a teenager, so that she could finally
flee her mother's house. Her husband,
Jeff Gillooly, soon began beating her.
CHILDHOOD
Born into a poor
family
From humble origins, it was almost impossible for
her to be accepted into a highly elitist sport - one
which continued to punish her for it throughout
her career.
LAVONA GOLDEN,
Her mother
Tonya stated that her mother abused her and
hit her. She resented the sacrifices she had
made, working double shifts to pay for her
daughter’s skating classes and threw it back
in her face. She would humiliate her so that she
gave her best.
MARRIAGE
A toxic relationship
With a life centered on skating and having
dropped out of school, Tonya married her
first love when she was still a teenager, so
that she could finally flee her mother's house.
Her husband, Jeff Gillooly, soon began beating her.
Harding never personified the virtues which the American establishment expected from ice skaters. There was no elegance either on or off the rink. She was pure nerves, strong and robust. Her jumps lacked technique, while her costumes and choreography didn’t meet the classic codes of skating. Kerrigan, with her poise, graceful movement and exclusively-designed costumes was the complete opposite. "Nancy’s a princess, that’s what everyone thought of her, while I was a pile of crap," Harding summed up in 2014. But that negativity didn’t stop her from enjoying a successful career.
She was a champion at national level, and the first woman to successfully accomplish a triple axel. No one could deny she had exceptional talent - until she was blacklisted following the ugly episode at Detroit's Cobo Arena.
Key:
World Cham.
US
Skate America
Germany
Moscow
Canada
NHK
Olympics
Bronze
Gold
Silver
Attack on Nancy Kerrigan
and retirement from
skating.
Tonya Maxene Harding
Born in Portland, Oregon
in 1970.
Midway through the 80s
starts competing in skating
events.
Changes coach (Dody Teachman).
85
1994
1970
74
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
Started training aged 4 years
old with Diane Rawlinson.
4º
4º
NFK
NFK
NFK
4º
4º
8º
6º
First triple axel at the
US Nationals
TRIPLE AXEL at the World Championships, to become the
first American woman to complete a triple axel in the short
program
Tonya Harding
Nancy Kerrigan
Kristi
Yamaguchi
The first time the podium is occupied by three competitors from
the same country at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Key:
World Cham.
US
Skate America
Germany
Moscow
Canada
NHK
Olympics
Bronze
Gold
Silver
Attack on Nancy Kerrigan
and retirement from
skating.
Tonya Maxene Harding
Born in Portland, Oregon
in 1970.
Midway through the 80s
starts competing in skating
events.
Changes coach (Dody Teachman).
85
1994
1970
74
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
Started training aged 4 years
old with Diane Rawlinson.
4º
4º
NFK
NFK
NFK
4º
4º
8º
6º
First triple axel at the
US Nationals
TRIPLE AXEL at the World Championships, to become the
first American woman to complete a triple axel in the short
program
Tonya Harding
Nancy Kerrigan
Kristi
Yamaguchi
The first time the podium is occupied by three competitors from
the same country at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Key:
World Champions.
US Nationals
Olympics
Skate America
Germany
Moscow
Canada
NHK
Bronze
Gold
Silver
1970
Tonya Maxene Harding
Born in Portland, Oregon in 1970.
Started training aged 4
years old with Diane Rawlinson.
74
Midway through the 80s starts
competing in skating events.
85
86
87
NFK
88
89
90
NFK
91
92
6º
4º
93
4º
4º
1994
8º
4º
NFK
Attack on Nancy Kerrigan
and retirement from skating.
First triple axel at the US Nationals
TRIPLE AXEL at the World Championships, to become
the first American woman to complete a triple axel in
the short program
Tonya
Harding
Nancy
Kerrigan
Kristi
Yamaguchi
The first time the podium is occupied by three
competitors from the same country at the World
Figure Skating Championships.
America's qualification for the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics descended into a movie thriller which gripped the audience's attention for weeks. The two tickets for the Olympics would be contested at the US Nationals. In the pre-training session the day before the competition, Kerrigan was attacked by an unidentified assailant moments after leaving the rink. She was struck above the knee with an iron bar in an attack planned to remove her from the competition. It left her unable to participate and Harding won the championship. After the first inquiries during an investigation which revealed surprises at every turn, the police arrested Shawn Eckardt, a friend of Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, and Derrick Smith, an accomplice. Eckardt was arrested because he had been bragging about assaulting Kerrigan. Clues emerged suggesting that Harding, the great beneficiary of Kerrigan's absence, was somehow involved. Eckardt accused Jeff Gillooly of orchestrating a premeditated assault and of hiring thug Shane Stant to do the dirty work.
Stant fled the scene by breaking the glass of a locked door and immediately getting into Smith's car, who was waiting outside of the building. A film crew began recording moments after the attack, catching the image of Kerrigan sitting on the access ramp to the
rink, surrounded by Cobo Arena staff. The film crew captured the famous images of the skater, unable to hold back her tears as she sobbed, “Why? why? why?”.
The body’s position should be straight like a pencil with elbows and knees tucked in.
The skater needs to use a lot of upper body strength to maintain the arms bent inwards
so that they do not slow down the turn. Once three and a half turns are performed, the
skater can land - the biggest challenge is how to slow down coming out of a spin. Skaters
try to land on the ball of their opposite foot to absorb the speed of the rotation and the
weight of their descent.
PREPARATION
TAKE OFF
FLIGHT
LANDING
Leaning
2
The rotation must be as tight
and quick as possible.
Vertical velocity
Elbows must
be tucked in
Rotation
speed
Angle of take-off
Take-off length
Horizontal velocity
Height of jump
Swivel of hips
Skate
turn
Distance of jump
1
3
Take off leaning forward with the skater
pushing the outer edge of the skate,
supporting the tip to push and turn.
Axels are jumps performed with a forward
take-off and landing on the opposite foot.
Rotation is from front to back.
The body’s position should be straight like a pencil with elbows and knees tucked in.
The skater needs to use a lot of upper body strength to maintain the arms bent inwards
so that they do not slow down the turn. Once three and a half turns are performed, the
skater can land - the biggest challenge is how to slow down coming out of a spin. Skaters
try to land on the ball of their opposite foot to absorb the speed of the rotation and the
weight of their descent.
PREPARATION
TAKE OFF
FLIGHT
LANDING
Leaning
2
The rotation must be as tight
and quick as possible.
Vertical velocity
Elbows must
be tucked in
Rotation
speed
Angle of take-off
Take-off length
Horizontal velocity
Height of jump
Swivel of hips
Skate
turn
Distance of jump
1
3
Axels are jumps performed with a forward
take-off and landing on the opposite foot.
Rotation is from front to back.
Take off leaning forward with the skater
pushing the outer edge of the skate,
supporting the tip to push and turn.
The body’s position should be straight like a pencil
with elbows and knees tucked in. The skater needs to
use a lot of upper body strength to maintain the arms
bent inward so that they do not slow down the turn.
Once three and a half turns are performed, the skater
can land - the biggest challenge is how to slow down
coming out of a spin. Skaters try to land on the ball of
their opposite foot to absorb the speed of the rotation
and the weight of their descent.
PREPARATION
TAKE OFF
FLIGHT
LANDING
Leaning
Velocidad
vertical
Rotation
speed
2
Take-off
length
Horizontal
velocity
Height of jump
Skate turn
1
3
ATERRIZAJE
1
Take off leaning forward with the skater
pushing the outer edge of the skate,
supporting the tip to push and turn.
The rotation must be as tight
and quick as possible.
2
Axels are jumps performed with a forward
take-off and landing on the opposite foot.
Rotation is from front to back.
3
Police did not initially charge Harding, who was under severe emotional stress at the time. The American Federation decided to rescue Kerrigan for the Games. Meanwhile, the unpleasant episode had turned into a morbid tale that reached all layers of American society. It was the soap opera of the moment. "You know what? I hate Tonya Harding!" was how legendary NBC showman Jay Leno opened one of his shows. Harding was seen as the bad girl but had to team up with Kerrigan for the Games. Team America invited Harding to leave the competition, but she refused and even threatened to file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. She had not been formally charged with anything. Ultimately, both skaters travelled to Norway to continue their roles in a story of huge social repercussions. The media coverage of the sad story allowed CBS to reap an audience of millions during the Olympic skating final. More than 48 million North American viewers followed the event live on television. Kerrigan won the silver medal and Harding, defeated and humiliated, unable to deal with the current of hatred against her, finished a lowly eighth.
Back in the United States, Gillooly had accused her of participating in the assault in an attempt to get his sentence reduced. Harding acknowledged that she discovered details of her husband's plot within days of the attack and she pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice to avoid jail time. She defended herself by saying that her husband had threatened her if she gave any information to the police. She was sentenced to three years probation, ordered to serve 500 hours of community service and fined $160,000. The American Figure Skating Association banned her for life, stripping her of her US national title. She was painted as the villain in the recent Hollywood movie, 'I, Tonya' which starred Margot Robbie as Harding. Harding entered into free fall after being forced to give up skating. She wrote her autobiography, became a boxer, formed a rock group, was arrested for being drunk and disorderly and attempted suicide. She hit rock bottom. Today, her life has taken a new, positive direction. She continues to maintain her innocence but few believe her. The puzzle remains unsolved. Did Harding really know what her ex-husband had planned to do? She insists it’s time to put the sorry story behind them: "Get over it, it's been a long time. I'm sure Nancy Kerrigan is over it, and so am I."
Nancy
Kerrigan
Shane Stant
Shawn Eckhardt
The victim
The hired thug
The bodyguard
TONYA
Jeff Gillooly
Ex-husband
6-01-1994- Cobo Arena (Detroit)
1
Nancy leaves the ice rink at
approximately 2:35 pm, walks
through a curtain leading to a
ramp and enters a corridor.
At this point,
filming stops.
1,5 metros
2
3
Stant waits for the camera to stop
recording then approaches Kerrigan.
Stant strikes the skater in the lower part of
her right thigh, about 3cm above the knee
Telescopic baton ASP (53 cm)
Nancy
Kerrigan
Shane Stant
Shawn Eckhardt
The victim
The hire
thug
The bodyguard
TONYA
Jeff Gillooly
Ex-husband
6-01-1994- Cobo Arena (Detroit)
1
Nancy leaves the ice rink at
approximately 2:35 pm, walks
through a curtain leading to a
ramp and enters a corridor.
At this point,
filming stops.
1,5 metros
2
3
Stant waits for the camera to stop
recording then approaches Kerrigan.
Stant strikes the skater in the lower part
of her right thigh, about 3cm above the knee
Porra extensible ASP (53 cm)
Shane Stant
Shawn Eckhardt
Nancy
Kerrigan
The hired
thug
The bodyguard
The victim
Jeff Gillooly
Ex-husband
TONYA
6-01-1994- Cobo Arena (Detroit)
1
At this point,
filming stops.
1,5 m
2
3
Telescopic baton ASP (53 cm)
1
Nancy leaves the ice rink at approximately 2:35 pm,
walks through a curtain leading to a ramp and enters
a corridor. At this point, filming stops.
Stant waits for the camera to stop recording then
approaches Kerrigan.
2
3
Stant strikes the skater in the lower part of her right
thigh, about 3cm above the knee.
