Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at a Detroit
ice rink following a practice session two days before the
Olympic trials. A man hit Kerrigan with a club on the back
of her knee, causing the figure skater to cry out in pain and bewilderment. When the full story emerged a week later,
the nation became caught up in a real-life soap opera.
One of Kerrigan’s chief rivals for a place on the U.S. Figure
Skating Team was Tonya Harding. In mid-December 1993,
Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, approached Shawn
Eckardt about somehow eliminating Kerrigan from the
competition. Eckardt set up a meeting with Derrick Smith
and Shane Stant, who agreed to injure Kerrigan for a fee.
Tonya Harding (left) says she was scared for her own
safety after the infamous 1994 baton attack on her fellow
fellow Olympic figure skater and longtime competitor
Nancy Kerrigan (right).
![Tonya Harding Blasted for Fake Crying, Diva Attitude on DWTS!](https://www.oregonlive.com/resizer/-Xdb8vB2hByKQBtQ-XoNzIP_nLw=/1280x0/smart/advancelocal-adapter-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/expo.advance.net/img/2a90f70154/width2048/886_tonyahardingportrait2.jpeg)
Tonya Maxene Price (54) was born
in Portland, Oregon.