The legendary story of Tonya Harding chronicles her rise to fame and sudden fall from grace.
Known for being the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition, she is considered one of the most controversial ice skaters in American history, according to her biography on olympics.com.
Harding’s fame is established in the Nancy Kerrigan Scandalher main rival at the 1994 Winter Olympics. A conspiracy to eliminate Kerrigan from competition spiraled out of control. Conspired by her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and his accomplice Shawn Eckardt, assailant Shane Stant struck Kerrigan with a metal baton above the knee to disqualify her from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
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Following the scandal, Harding found herself on thin ice with the public and the skating world, leading to a forced resignation from the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) as part of her plea deal for her role in Kerrigan’s attack.
American figure skater Tonya Harding competes in a figure skating competition circa 1992. (Focus on sport)
Who is Tonya Harding?
Harding’s life is often viewed through the prism of two distinct eras: before the Jan. 6, 1994 incident and after the notorious assault on Kerrigan. Harding discovered her passion for ice skating at age 3, displaying an undeniable talent that led to her being coached by Diane Rawlinson, a former “Ice Capades” star, at her LaVona Golden’s mother insistence.
She won her first competition at age 5 and performed her first triple jump at age 8, according to the Olympic website. She quickly established herself with the triple axel, her signature move.
Harding’s competitive career was on the rise. In 1986, she placed sixth at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, according to Encyclopedia.com. In 1989, she placed third, according to the Olympic website. In 1990, she won the Skate America competition.
(The incident, as well as Tonya Harding’s life, was dramatized in the 2017 film, “I, Tonya,” starring Margot Robbie, right.)
Harding’s career crowning achievement came when she landed the triple axel for the first time in competition at the 1991 U.S. Championships.
She repeated the move at Skate America, setting two world records, according to her ABC.com bio for “Dancing with the Stars” — a reality show She and Kerrigan would both appear after 1994.
Tonya Harding, left, and Nancy Kerrigan were competing for a spot on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team at the time of the 1994 attack on Kerrigan. (VINCENT AMALVY/AFP via Getty Images)
Harding’s victory at the 1994 U.S. Championships would qualify her for a spot on the Olympic team, but the USFSA revoked her title amid the Kerrigan scandal.
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Physical abuse was a major part of her life, from a young age at the hands of her mother to domestic violence at the hands of her husband.
The 1994 Olympics and the Nancy Kerrigan Incident
As figure skaters prepared for the 1994 Winter Olympics, Kerrigan was struck above the knee by a police baton. The incident occurred just as camera crews were finishing filming her practice session.
After the 1994 attack, a widely circulated video showed Nancy Kerrigan crying and asking, “Why?” Some media outlets reported her reply, “Why me?” (NY Daily News via Getty Images)
“There was a cameraman right behind her, so I had to get behind him,” the attacker later told “Inside Edition.” “I was probably a foot behind him. I knew once he put the camera down and walked away, it would go off.”
Immediately after the attacker smashed the glass doors and fled in a car, camera crews resumed filming as Kerrigan screamed, “Why? Why? Why?” Some sources claim she said, “Why? Why me!?” as reported by the New York Daily Mail.
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Aftermath of Kerrigan’s Attack
Due to her injury, Kerrigan was unable to compete at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Despite her inability to compete, she was named to the 1994 U.S. Olympic team by the USFSA.
Although Harding was not the one who physically assaulted Kerrigan, she was quickly implicated as a suspect in the attack on her figure skating rival. Once details began to emerge and confessions were made, Harding was thrust into the spotlight for involvement in the attackquickly gaining notoriety before the Olympics.
“I knew it would stay with me for the rest of my life.”
After questioning, the FBI discovered that Gillooly and Eckhardt were behind the attack. The attacker, Stant, was assisted by his uncle, Derrick Smith, who served as his accomplice.
Tonya Harding finished eighth at the 1994 Olympics. She was later banned for life by the United States Figure Skating Association after pleading guilty to hindering the prosecution of her attackers. (David Madison/Getty Images)
Harding initially denied any involvement in the attack, but later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. This offence means she was aware of the details of the crime but did not alert authorities.
The result of the 1994 Winter Olympics
Tonya Harding was allowed to compete in the 1994 Winter Olympics, although she was stripped of her 1994 U.S. Women’s Championship title. Judges awarded her a second-place finish after an unfortunate incident with her shoelace, a vital component of figure skating success. After her second attempt, she finished in eighth place, according to the 1994 Oregonian article “1994 Winter Olympics: Tonya Harding Finishes 8th in Women’s Figure Skating.”
At the 1994 Olympics, the judges granted Tonya Harding a re-skate, also giving her time to repair her skate. Her performance was affected by the incident, and she finished eighth in the ladies’ individual competition. (Clive Brunskill/ALLSPORT)
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Kerrigan finished in second place, earning a silver medal, symbolizing her resilience.
Life After Skateboarding for Tonya Harding
After Harding was banned from figure skating, she bounced back and began a boxing career. During her boxing career from 2003 to 2004, she had three wins and three losses, according to the Olympic website.
The incident involving the figure skaters was documented on ESPN’s “The Price of Gold” in 2014 and the 2017 film “I, Tonya”. The film focuses on Harding’s youth and the abuse she endures as the skater pursues her dreams, showing the emotional toll her mother’s parenting strategies took on her. “I, Tonya” was written by Steven Rogers and stars Margot Robbie as Tonya and Allison Janney as her mother, LaVona.
Tonya Harding competed in the 26th season of “Dancing with the Stars,” a special for athletes. The season aired in 2018. (Entertainment content via Getty Images)
Harding divorced Gillooly in 1993 and married Michael Smith in 1995, a marriage that lasted until 1996, according to biography.com. She currently lives in Washington, D.C. with her third husband, Joseph Jens Price. They have one son, Gordon. The end credits of “I, Tonya” make it clear that she wants the world to know that she is a good mother.
Stant has served his prison sentence and experienced a significant personal transformation. He has shared his story of converting to Christianity while incarcerated with outlets like Bleacher Report and expressed gratitude to “Inside Edition” for the time he spent in prison that catalyzed this life change.
“I hope {Kerrigan} understands that I’m sorry for what I did and that I’m a different person.”
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Tonya Harding’s ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, pictured here, and his bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt, hired Shane Stant to lead the attack on Nancy Kerrigan. (CHRIS WILKINS/AFP via Getty Images)
After his release from prison in 1995, Gillooly changed his name to Jeff Stone, according to Good Housekeeping and other sources. He is now a car salesman and lives in Oregon with his current wife, according to an interview with Deadspin. He also has two children with his ex-wife, who committed suicide in 2005 after a battle with drug addiction.
