Biography
One of the most well known figure skaters of all time-not only for her ability on the ice, but for her unwitting role in a major scandal-Nancy Kerrigan was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts in 1969. She began learning to skate at age six and by nine, she was winning competitions. She took third place at her first World Figure Skating Championships in 1991, and later won the bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics. The 1992 games were the last time that the Winter and Summer games were held the same year, which meant Kerrigan would need to be ready for her next Olympic competition in just two years. Her training for the 1994 games in Lillehammer, Norway was solid, but her life changed forever when, while walking through a corridor at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, she was attacked by assailant who clubbed her in the knee with a police baton. It was revealed that the attack had been planned by the ex-husband of fellow figure skater Tonya Harding, Jeff Gillooly, who intended the injury to remove Kerrigan from competition and forward Harding's place at the upcoming Olympic Games. Kerrigan made a full recovery however, and was awarded a place on the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team, despite being unable to compete in the qualifying event. The controversy surrounding the incident raised Kerrigan's fame by untold levels, and it was under tremendous pressure that she won the silver medal at the Olympics and subsequently retired from amateur competition. She would go on to enjoy a career skating in live ice shows like "Broadway on Ice," in addition to making regular TV appearances, notably serving as a special correspondent for "Entertainment Tonight" (Syndication 1981- ) at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and competing on "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005-) in 2017.
