The great thing about sports is that they bring together people from all walks of life. For a brief moment in time people can escape the outside world and forget about personal challenges or other world issues. In 2020, a year like no other, having sports being played is a true joy. What makes sports the most intriguing for me are rivalries. Every sport has them. In Figure Skating, there is no rivalry greater than Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. This rivalry is also forever engulfed in the flames of scandal in the weeks leading up to the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
During the 1994 season, both Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding were the top two American competitors, and both skaters were competing for a spot on the Olympic roster. Coming into 1994, Kerrigan had won Bronze at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, and Harding won Silver in the 1991 World Championships in Munich. However, the road to Lillehammer took a dramatic turn on January 6th, 1994 in Detroit, Michigan when Kerrigan was hit with a pipe following a practice session at Cobo Arena. The culprit was a man named Shane Stant, and was hired by Jeff Gillooly, Harding’s ex-husband. Harding immediately denied any knowledge of the plot. Kerrigan had suffered severe bruising causing her to miss the remainder of the U.S. Championships, but was later granted a special invitation to compete at the Lillehammer Games. The drama between the two skaters would spill into the Olympics in February where both skaters would have drastically different finishes.
Kerrigan put together a strong performance in the 1994 Olympics skating her way to a Silver Medal. Harding would eventually finish 8th in an underwhelming performance that included a re-skate after she complained to the judges that she had bad shoe laces. Unfortunately, Harding’s bad performance wasn’t the end of her journey.
On March 16th, 1994 Harding pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to hinder the prosecution, which resulted in three years of probation, and a $160 thousand fine. Later in the year, Harding was forced to vacate her 1994 U.S. Championship Title. Harding’s career ended on June 30, 1994 after receiving a lifetime ban by the United States Figure Skating Association.
26 years later, the 1994 scandal remains one of the most talked about scandals in sports history and still casts a large shadow in the world of figure skating.
The next Winter Olympics will take place in Beijing, China February 4th to February 20th 2022.
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