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Nancy Kerrigan Nancy Kerrigan, interviewed in Turin, Italy Personal Information Country represented: United States Date of birth: October 13, 1969 (1969-10-13) (age 39) Former coach: Evy Scotvold, Mary Scotvold Retired: 1994 Olympic medal record Figure skating Silver 1994 Lillehammer Ladies' singles Bronze 1992 Albertville Nancy Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969, in Stoneham, Massachusetts) is a two time American Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 1991-1992 competitions 1.3 January 6, 1994, attack 1.4 1994 Winter Olympics and Walt Disney World controversy 1.5 Life after retirement from active competition 1.6 Personal life 2 Competitive highlights 3 References 4 External links // Biography Early life Kerrigan took up skating at age six. She grew up with brothers who played hockey, and often joined in herself. She describes herself as having been a "tomboy." She won her first figure skating medal at age nine.[1] Kerrigan was coached by Evy and Mary Scotvold.Their relationship was rocky at times during coaching sessions however Kerrigan respected and admired her coaches. 1991-1992 competitions Her first placement at a major international competition was at the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, when the United States team scored a medal sweep in the ladies' event. Kerrigan received the bronze medal behind Kristi Yamaguchi and Tonya Harding. She received a bronze medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics (Yamaguchi won the gold), and the silver medal at the 1992 World Championships. January 6, 1994, attack Kerrigan gained considerable fame beyond the skating world when, on January 6, 1994, she was clubbed in the knee by Shane Stant at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Stant had been hired to assault her by Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and friend Shawn Eckardt. Following the attack, her screaming of the words "Why? Why?" became well-known and were even included in ESPN's Sports Century video, which chronicle the most important sports moments of the 20th century. Though Kerrigan was not able to take part in the Olympic trials due to injury, the USOC gave her a spot on the team with encouragement from Michelle Kwan, to whom the spot would have gone. 1994 Winter Olympics and Walt Disney World controversy A month after the attack, Kerrigan won the silver medal in the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics at the Hamar Olympic Amphitheatre, finishing second to Oksana Baiul in a controversial ruling that gave Oksana the gold medal by 0.1 points. Immediately following her program, Kerrigan's public image took a nose-dive. While Kerrigan and bronze-medalist Chen Lu waited over 20 minutes | ||||
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