- 6 minutes ago
The Tonya Harding vs Nancy Kerrigan scandal began with a brutal attack in a Detroit arena hallway and spiraled into one of the most infamous sports stories ever told. This true crime-style sports documentary traces how two elite figure skaters from very different backgrounds became linked by class, pressure, jealousy, and a conspiracy that changed the 1994 Olympic race.
From Harding’s rough working-class upbringing and raw, athletic skating to Kerrigan’s polished image and corporate sponsorships, the story shows how figure skating’s culture shaped both women’s careers. It follows the planning behind the attack, the FBI investigation, the Olympic fallout in Lillehammer, and the legal consequences that ended Harding’s career while Kerrigan went on to professional success.
The film also looks at how the media turned the rivalry into a simple good-versus-bad narrative, and how that version of events has been challenged over time. It is a gripping listen for fans of sports history, scandal documentaries, Olympic stories, and narrated true crime cases.
Created for listeners searching for Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, figure skating scandal, Olympic controversy, sports documentary narration, and true story listening. A strong choice for true crime fans, history listeners, and anyone looking for a dramatic sports story for background listening or podcast-style viewing.
From Harding’s rough working-class upbringing and raw, athletic skating to Kerrigan’s polished image and corporate sponsorships, the story shows how figure skating’s culture shaped both women’s careers. It follows the planning behind the attack, the FBI investigation, the Olympic fallout in Lillehammer, and the legal consequences that ended Harding’s career while Kerrigan went on to professional success.
The film also looks at how the media turned the rivalry into a simple good-versus-bad narrative, and how that version of events has been challenged over time. It is a gripping listen for fans of sports history, scandal documentaries, Olympic stories, and narrated true crime cases.
Created for listeners searching for Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, figure skating scandal, Olympic controversy, sports documentary narration, and true story listening. A strong choice for true crime fans, history listeners, and anyone looking for a dramatic sports story for background listening or podcast-style viewing.
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SportsTranscript
00:00She was the reigning US champion and a favorite for Olympic gold.
00:04But after completing a practice session for the national championships,
00:07as she walked off the ice and passed through a blue curtain into a dark hallway,
00:11the cameras pulled away, a loud thump echoed through the corridors,
00:15and a haunting scream rang out through the quiet air of Detroit's Kobo Arena.
00:20As the camera rushed back to see what had happened, Nancy Kerrigan sat curled up,
00:25writhing in pain on the floor as a strange man disappeared from the scene.
00:30The security staff rushed through the halls, chasing after the man,
00:33and the medical staff asked Nancy what had happened.
00:37But all Nancy could respond with was why?
00:40Why?
00:41Why?
00:45Nancy had been assaulted, a single, brutal hit just above her right knee.
00:50And so the question was indeed, why?
00:53Who would benefit from one of the greatest US figure skaters
00:56being taken out just weeks before the Olympics?
01:00Before the attack, to someone unfamiliar with the sport of figure skating,
01:04Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding may have seemed like two sides of the same coin.
01:10They were both remarkably good skaters at the very top of their craft.
01:13Tonya had won the 1991 US figure skating championships,
01:17becoming the first American woman ever to land one of the hardest figure skating jumps,
01:22a triple axel in competition.
01:24While the following year, Nancy Kerrigan outperformed Tonya at the US championships,
01:28and went on to also earn an Olympic bronze at the 1992 Winter Games.
01:34However, the truth is, their roads to success,
01:37as well as how it impacted the way they approached the sport,
01:40and what they were willing to do in order to win, were very different.
01:45Tonya Harding, born in 1970, grew up in a tough, working-class part of East Portland, Oregon.
01:51Her childhood was unstable.
01:53It was full of money troubles and a chaotic home life
01:55that was a world away from the fancy, polished figure skating scene.
01:59Her mum, LaVonna, worked as a waitress,
02:01and her dad, Albert, bounced between odd jobs,
02:04but most of the time was managing apartments or driving a truck.
02:07But Albert was also a chronic smoker,
02:10and he often couldn't work due to suffering from emphysema,
02:13a lung disease which made it difficult for him to breathe.
02:16Money was always tight in the Harding household.
02:19The family moved around a lot,
02:21being constantly forced out of the home when their rents were raised,
02:24and needing to find housing or sometimes trailer parks that they could afford to live in.
02:29When Tonya was introduced to ice skating at a young age,
02:33she showed a lot of natural athletic ability and coordination early on,
02:37and so her parents insisted that she continue.
02:40For Tonya, figure skating became a way out of a difficult home life
02:44and a method of expressing herself in a way she didn't always feel like she could at home.
02:49She often said that the ice felt like the one place that she had control and freedom.
02:54It certainly wasn't a cheap hobby,
02:56but LaVonna recognised Tonya's talent early on,
02:59and she started to sense that success in that world could pay off in a big way in the future,
03:05not just for Tonya, but for the whole family.
03:07So LaVonna pushed Tonya relentlessly to succeed.
03:13LaVonna worked multiple low-wage jobs just to pay for lessons, costumes, and time on the ice.
03:19She even sewed Tonya's skating costumes herself to save some cash.
03:22While the other competitors had polished, custom-made dresses from professional designers,
03:27Tonya's costumes looked homemade and amateurish by comparison.
03:31In any other sport, this might have been seen as charming and endearing.
03:36However, in the image-obsessed world of figure skating,
03:39Tonya's costumes were looked down on by the judges and audiences
03:42trying to uphold figure skating's wealthy, classist image.
03:47Tonya was even told that her look was too trashy,
03:50and that her mum's homemade dresses didn't fit the image the skating world wanted.
03:55On top of the money worries, Tonya's family life was also quite dysfunctional.
04:00Tonya has always said that her mother physically and psychologically abused her from a young age,
04:06trying to shape Tonya into her own image of a world-class figure skater.
04:11Tonya says that the abuse was a regular thing by the time she was as young as seven years old,
04:16and LaVonna even admits to hitting Tonya at the rink with a hairbrush at least once.
04:21And Tonya alleges that one time, when she wanted to take a break from skating,
04:26LaVonna completely lost it,
04:28and even went as far as throwing a kitchen knife at Tonya in her uncontrolled rage.
04:32It was these experiences that made Tonya tough, defensive,
04:36and gave her a somewhat normalised familiarity with violence,
04:40which was totally foreign to the typically pristine, prim and proper world of figure skating.
04:47But even the positive influences in Tonya's life alienated her from what was typically expected of an elite figure skater.
04:54See, Tonya was quite close to her dad, Albert,
04:57who taught her skills that were totally opposite to the delicate femininity typically associated with figure skating.
05:03At her dad's side, she learned to hunt, fish, chop wood, drag race, and even rebuild car engines.
05:10Albert taught her the value of hard work.
05:12He drove her to ice rinks, fixed her skates,
05:15and he instilled a fearlessness and sense of grit in Tonya, which deeply impacted her skating.
05:21Tonya's skating was raw, explosive, and seriously athletic.
05:25She was an incredible jumper,
05:26and her sheer strength allowed her to compete on a level rarely seen in figure skating.
05:31At the 1991 US Figure Skating Championships,
05:34Tonya made history when she became the first American woman,
05:37and only the second woman ever after Japan's Midori Ito,
05:41to successfully land a triple axle in competition.
05:44The jump, which involved three and a half forward-facing rotations,
05:48was considered to be the toughest in the sport.
05:50And later that year, Tonya would do it again,
05:53becoming the first woman to land it in a short program,
05:56and the first to land two in a single competition.
05:59For a brief moment,
06:00her power in the sport was so undeniable,
06:03that it didn't matter what the judges' preconceptions were.
06:06Tonya had proven herself,
06:07and she was widely considered to be the greatest figure skater in America.
06:13So, as the 1992 Winter Olympics approached,
06:17Tonya had secured herself a spot in the women's team,
06:20and flew to Albertville, France, to compete on the world stage.
06:23But, as Tonya represented the US alongside Christy Yamaguchi and Nancy Kerrigan,
06:29she didn't hold up under the pressure of the world's eyes,
06:32as well as her compatriots did.
06:34Tonya failed to land her signature triple axle,
06:37and she came in fourth place,
06:39narrowly missing out on a medal.
06:41Tonya couldn't believe it.
06:43She was furious.
06:44Regardless of her own faults in her routines,
06:47she felt, as she often did,
06:49like the Olympic judges were too focused on artistry and image,
06:53and she felt like they didn't focus enough
06:55on athletic skill and technical difficulty,
06:57which were her strengths.
06:59She stood on the sidelines
07:00as she watched Christy Yamaguchi take home the gold
07:03and Nancy Kerrigan take home the bronze.
07:07But despite being upset,
07:09Tonya also knew that she wouldn't have to wait another four years
07:12to get another chance to prove herself,
07:14because the Winter Olympics were undergoing a change at the time.
07:18See, while the Winter Games had been held every four years
07:21at the same time as the Summer Games,
07:23the International Olympic Committee were about to change that,
07:26separating the two events into alternating even-numbered years.
07:31And so, two years later, in 1994,
07:34the Winter Olympics were due to be held again
07:36in Lillehammer, Norway,
07:38which would become the first Winter Games
07:40to be held in a different year from the Summer Games.
07:43When Tonya left France and arrived back in the US,
07:46she tried to refocus her efforts on preparing for Lillehammer.
07:50This time, she was determined to take home the gold.
07:53She imagined the sponsorships,
07:54the opportunities,
07:55and the respect that was up for grabs.
07:58She knew that she had the ability to achieve it.
08:00She just needed one more shot at it.
08:03And with Christy Yamaguchi stepping away from the Olympics
08:05after her gold medal win to focus on skating professionally,
08:09Tonya knew there was really only one other skater in America
08:13who had the potential to outshine her on the world stage.
08:19Nancy Kerrigan was born in 1969 in Stoneham, Massachusetts.
08:24Much like Tonya, Nancy also came from a working-class background.
08:28Her dad, Daniel Kerrigan, worked as a welder.
08:30But much like Tonya's parents,
08:32he too juggled multiple jobs to pay for Nancy's skating career.
08:36He even drove the Zamboni at the local rink
08:38just to cover Nancy's lessons.
08:40Her mum, Brenda, had been legally blind since Nancy was a year old
08:44due to a degenerative eye disease.
08:46This unfortunately meant that Brenda
08:48could never truly see her daughter's face
08:50or her performances on the ice.
08:53However, remarkably,
08:54she could still always tell when it was Nancy on the ice,
08:57apparently just from the way she moved.
09:00Despite the unique hardship the Kerrigan family faced,
09:03unlike the chaotic Harding household,
09:05the Kerrigan family managed to create and maintain
09:08a stable and focused environment for Nancy.
09:10Nancy was the youngest of three and the only girl.
09:14She was a bit of a favourite,
09:15so a lot of the family's energy and resources
09:18went into making her Olympic dream a reality.
09:21Nancy's family and her team understood
09:24and embraced the unspoken rules of the game,
09:27carefully crafting a polished, affluent image
09:30which represented everything the figure skating elites wanted.
09:33This polished presentation on the surface
09:35made Nancy incredibly marketable.
09:38Her appearance and her ballerina-like style
09:41attracted a range of corporate sponsorships
09:43which Tonya wasn't offered.
09:45This financial boost soon lightened the load on Nancy's family
09:48and allowed her to get the pricey,
09:50high-fashion costumes that the figure skating world valued.
09:54And that became her signature look.
09:56And after she took home that Olympic bronze medal in 1992,
09:59she was showered in even more sponsorship dollars
10:03from even bigger names.
10:05Names like Campbell's Soup, Evian, Reebok and Seiko.
10:09But the difference in how Tonya and Nancy
10:11each approached the culture of figure skating
10:13didn't just affect their financial support,
10:16it also affected their scores.
10:19The subjective way judging worked
10:21was a constant headache for Tonya.
10:23See, figure skating scores mix a technical mark
10:25for jumps and spins with a presentation mark for artistry.
10:29So, while Tonya's athletic talent was undeniable,
10:33she consistently got lower scores for presentation.
10:36Her powerful style was also often called unfeminine,
10:40her homemade costumes tacky
10:42and her music choices too aggressive.
10:45Nancy, on the other hand,
10:46shined in the presentation category
10:47with her elegant and expensive outfits
10:50helping her earn high marks
10:52that could often make up
10:53for a less than perfect technical performance.
10:55You know, the actual skating part of figure skating.
10:59This situation put Tonya in a really tough
11:02and high-pressure spot.
11:04Her historic triple axel was her biggest strength,
11:07but it also became a liability.
11:09It was an objective athletic feat
11:11so difficult that the judges couldn't ignore it.
11:14However, relying so heavily on this high-risk move
11:17meant her success was always all or nothing.
11:21If she didn't land the axle,
11:22her scores would plummet
11:24since she didn't have the artistic safety net
11:26that skaters like Nancy enjoyed.
11:28This forced an environment of intense desperation for Tonya,
11:32where she felt like she had to be technically flawless
11:34just to compete against the others
11:36who would conform to the aesthetic expectations of the sport.
11:40As Tonya tried focusing her efforts
11:42on the future possibility
11:43of making it onto the podium at the Olympics,
11:45it felt like a losing battle.
11:47And this mentality of desperation and victimhood
11:50started bleeding out
11:52and infecting the others in Tonya's inner circle,
11:55especially Tonya's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly.
11:59Tonya had married Jeff in 1990,
12:02when she was just 19 years old.
12:04However, just over a year later,
12:07Tonya was already filing for divorce.
12:09The reason why was revealed in a police report
12:12filed at the time by Tonya.
12:13Tonya was seeking a restraining order on Jeff.
12:17She claimed he had physically assaulted her.
12:19And when he then brought a shotgun into the house,
12:22she started fearing for her life.
12:24A month after that restraining order was submitted,
12:27another police report was filed,
12:29again by Tonya.
12:30This time, she said that Jeff had tracked her down,
12:33cornered her in a boatyard,
12:35and threatened to break her legs and end her career.
12:38However, just a few months later,
12:41the two were back together again.
12:42The restraining orders and divorce were annulled,
12:45like nothing had ever happened.
12:47Tonya found herself stuck in a cycle of control
12:50and dependency on Jeff.
12:52And he started to depend on her too.
12:55Jeff was deeply invested in Tonya's career,
12:58and he viewed her success as the way
13:00to fulfill his own dreams of a better life.
13:03And so despite the volatility in their relationship,
13:06Tonya and Jeff did agree on one thing.
13:08If they just had a little bit more money,
13:11life would be a heck of a lot easier.
13:13And they both saw a clear avenue to get there.
13:17Jeff and Tonya knew an Olympic medal
13:19would mean big money in endorsements,
13:21likely millions of dollars,
13:23enough to really change their lives
13:25and pull them out of their financial struggles.
13:27They knew Tonya was capable of bringing home a medal,
13:30but after she fell short of the podium in 1992,
13:33they both saw the 94 games as Tonya's second
13:36and perhaps final chance.
13:38This desperation caused Jeff
13:40to become even more violent and controlling.
13:43And despite the couple officially filing for divorce
13:45again in 1993,
13:47they still referred to each other as husband and wife.
13:50Even in divorce,
13:52Jeff maintained his grip on Tonya's career
13:54and her life,
13:56at least for now.
13:57The US had two available spots
13:59for women's figure skating
14:01at the 1994 Olympics.
14:03But to qualify for one of the available Olympic spots,
14:06Tonya would need to skate well enough
14:08at the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships
14:11to convince selectors
14:12she was one of the two strongest choices.
14:15Although for Jeff and Tonya,
14:16after seeing how Tonya had been judged
14:18at previous competitions,
14:20they weren't willing to rely
14:21on a judge's subjective perception
14:23of Tonya's outfits or style
14:25to secure her position at the games.
14:27And so it was decided
14:29that something needed to be done
14:30about her biggest competition for selection,
14:33Nancy Kerrigan.
14:36Jeff had some nefarious ideas
14:38about what to do,
14:39but he knew that if he was going to try
14:41and pull them off,
14:42he was going to need to hire a professional.
14:44And luckily,
14:45they already had the perfect guy
14:47at their disposal.
14:50Sean Eckhart,
14:51one of Jeff's childhood friends,
14:53had joined Tonya's team
14:54as her bodyguard in 1993.
14:57He seemed to show up in their lives again
14:59at just the right time,
15:01right after she had apparently received
15:03an anonymous death threat.
15:05Sean was the owner
15:05of World Bodyguard Services,
15:07and on paper,
15:08he was a certified badass.
15:10He was a well-traveled espionage expert
15:12and counter-terrorism specialist.
15:14He knew how to manipulate people's psychology
15:16and sweep a room for bugs.
15:19Perhaps most incredibly,
15:20he'd worked for a Swiss security firm
15:22called the Blackstone Corp
15:24on top-secret missions
15:25to retrieve hostages
15:26when he was only 16 years old.
15:29With Sean,
15:30Jeff and Tonya felt safe,
15:32like they had their very own
15:33James Bond on their side.
15:35Of course,
15:36Sean didn't look like James Bond.
15:38He weighed in at over 300 pounds,
15:40about 136 kilos,
15:42and he ran his entire bodyguard operation
15:45from his parents' house.
15:46Jeff and Tonya
15:47never were able
15:48to verify Sean's claims
15:50on his resume.
15:51But still,
15:52Jeff trusted his childhood friend,
15:54and so he consulted with Sean
15:56in confidence
15:57about what they were planning.
15:59Sean was intrigued.
16:00He immediately agreed,
16:01and he quoted Jeff
16:02a cost of $4,500
16:04to do the hit.
16:06Jeff felt like
16:06that was too expensive,
16:08but after some back and forth,
16:09they agreed to a loose deal
16:11of $2,000 plus expenses
16:13if Jeff also agreed
16:15to keep Sean on payroll
16:16after the hit
16:17and to open doors
16:18for Sean to get more bodyguard work
16:20from other skaters
16:21that Tonya knew
16:22in the industry.
16:23Sean locked in
16:24and started reaching out
16:25to his secret network
16:27of underworld agents
16:28to perform the hit.
16:30Sean ended up recruiting
16:31one of his friends
16:32for the job,
16:33Derek Smith,
16:34a guy he knew
16:35from Arizona.
16:36The two of them
16:37had been planning
16:37to one day open
16:38an anti-terror
16:39security training camp,
16:41but of course
16:41they needed money
16:42to do that,
16:43so Derek agreed
16:44that this would be a step
16:46in the right direction.
16:47Derek didn't want
16:48to get his hands dirty himself,
16:49so he recruited
16:50his nephew,
16:51Shane Stant,
16:52to carry out the hit.
16:54But Derek was nervous
16:54about the whole thing,
16:56not about the actual hit.
16:57To him,
16:58it was just a job.
16:59He was nervous
17:00that they weren't going
17:01to get paid.
17:02Sean had already received
17:03$2,700
17:04to organise the hit,
17:06and even though
17:07Jeff had since
17:08promised him even more
17:09after the hit
17:10had been carried out,
17:11to Derek,
17:12that promise
17:13didn't feel like enough.
17:14So Derek came up
17:16with a strategy
17:16to protect themselves.
17:18He told Sean
17:19to bring a recording device
17:20to the meeting
17:21with Jeff.
17:21That way,
17:22they could use the tapes
17:23as leverage
17:24in case Jeff refused
17:25to pay or turned on them.
17:27Plus,
17:27if it all went well
17:28and Tonya were to become
17:29a worldwide sensation,
17:31they could also use
17:32the tapes as blackmail
17:33to get a bigger piece
17:34of the pie.
17:35A bigger piece
17:36of the pie
17:36sounded delicious
17:37to Sean,
17:38so he obliged.
17:40Sean hid the tape recorder
17:41under a paper towel
17:42on his desk,
17:43and he invited Jeff,
17:45Derek and Shane
17:46to his parents' house
17:47for a secret meeting
17:48in December of 1993
17:50to discuss the hit.
17:51It was during that meeting
17:52that they started planning
17:54how they would do it.
17:55Sean started pitching ideas.
17:57Maybe we could cut
17:58her Achilles tendon
17:59with an ice skate,
18:01Sean said.
18:01But Jeff and Derek
18:02quickly shot that idea down.
18:05How about we get
18:05an old car
18:06without license plates
18:07and we run her
18:08off the road?
18:09Sean followed up.
18:10But that idea
18:11was also disregarded
18:12by Jeff.
18:13Look,
18:13all we need to do
18:14is disable her right leg.
18:16That's the leg
18:17she lands on,
18:18Jeff said.
18:19Derek chimed in.
18:20Shane is an expert
18:21in martial arts.
18:22Maybe he could break
18:23her leg with a kick
18:24to the long bone.
18:25Jeff wasn't exactly sure
18:26what the long bone was,
18:28but that sounded
18:29like the best option.
18:30Maybe we could shoot her
18:31with a sniper rifle.
18:33Sean squealed excitedly.
18:35Jeff and Derek ignored him
18:36and they settled on the plan
18:37to break Nancy's right leg.
18:39Sean reluctantly agreed,
18:41but only if they could also
18:42leave a cryptic note
18:43at the scene,
18:44which he had already made earlier
18:45out of paper
18:46and letters cut out
18:47of various magazines.
18:49He handed the note to Derek,
18:50which read,
18:51All skating whores will die.
18:53No one can shut me off.
18:55Sean figured the note
18:57would cause panic
18:57in the skating world,
18:58creating a boon
19:00for his bodyguard services
19:01and he said that he could
19:02even hire Derek
19:03as one of his bodyguards.
19:05Derek took the note,
19:06the men agreed to the plot
19:07and they each went
19:08their separate ways.
19:11Shane Stant,
19:12Derek's nephew,
19:13had his marching orders
19:14and he started planning out
19:16the perfect opportunity.
19:17Over the next week,
19:18he received intel from Jeff
19:20about Nancy's location
19:21and he tried to track her down.
19:23He traveled interstate
19:24to the Tony Kent Arena
19:26in Massachusetts,
19:27where he heard she was training
19:28and he sat in the parking lot
19:30staking out the arena for days,
19:33cross-referencing a photo of Nancy
19:34which had been cut out
19:35of an ice skating magazine
19:37and given to him by Jeff.
19:39But as each day passed
19:40and there was no sign of Nancy,
19:43Shane started running out
19:44of patience and cash.
19:46So after four days of waiting,
19:48Shane decided to just walk
19:50straight into the arena
19:51and he started asking people
19:52whether they had seen her.
19:54Apparently, nobody had.
19:56The following day,
19:57he called the arena,
19:58telling the staff
19:59that he had a daughter
20:00who really wanted
20:01to see Nancy skate,
20:02which is when he was told
20:03that Nancy had already
20:05headed to Detroit
20:06to prepare for the US Nationals.
20:08So with that knowledge,
20:10Shane spent the last of his cash
20:11on a bus ticket to Detroit
20:13along with accommodation
20:14and he started scoping out
20:16the Detroit Kobo arena.
20:18Meanwhile, Jeff and Sean
20:19were starting to get anxious
20:21about the job.
20:22It should have happened by now.
20:24They started to feel
20:25like they'd been screwed over
20:26by Derek and Shane.
20:28And so in a desperate attempt
20:29to get the job done
20:30before the US Nationals,
20:32Jeff flashed a $10,000 check
20:34to Sean and asked him
20:36if a $10,000 bonus
20:38would motivate the guys
20:39to get the job done.
20:41And when word got to Derek
20:42about the potentially huge payday,
20:45he personally flew to Detroit
20:47to assist his nephew
20:48in making it happen.
20:49Derek met up with Shane
20:50on January 6th, 1994
20:53and they drove to the Kobo arena
20:55just before 11 a.m.
20:57Shane was fully decked out
20:58in a black leather jacket,
21:00black jeans, black gloves,
21:02brown hiking boots
21:03and a baseball hat.
21:04He had decided against
21:05the karate kick idea
21:07and his choice of weapon
21:08was a black collapsible
21:10tactical baton,
21:11which he kept
21:12in his belt.
21:13Then he and his uncle
21:14stole a license plate
21:15from a car
21:16that looked like
21:17their rental car.
21:18They put it over
21:18their rental's plate
21:19and Derek backed the car
21:21onto a nearby street.
21:23At the arena,
21:24Shane sat near the blue curtain
21:26where the skaters
21:26entered the ice
21:27and he waited for Nancy
21:29to step onto the rink.
21:30And sure enough,
21:3115 minutes later,
21:33there she was.
21:34Shane sat in the stands
21:35and he watched Nancy skate,
21:37keeping an eye out
21:38for video cameras
21:39so that he wouldn't
21:39be caught on tape.
21:41After her session,
21:42at about 2.35pm,
21:44Nancy left the ice.
21:46Shane stood up
21:47from his seat.
21:47Nancy was followed
21:49off the ice
21:49by an ABC cameraman
21:51and when the man
21:52put down his camera
21:53and turned away,
21:54Shane slipped
21:55right past him.
21:56Shane couldn't see
21:57any security personnel
21:58around and so he knew
22:00it was now or never.
22:01He crept up behind Nancy,
22:03pulled the baton
22:04from his belt
22:05with his right hand
22:06and he held
22:06Sean's insane note
22:08in his left hand.
22:09He swung his baton,
22:10viciously smashing it
22:11into Nancy's right leg
22:13and then he sprinted
22:14through the corridors.
22:15Nancy screamed in horror
22:16and Shane desperately
22:18tried to make his escape,
22:20still holding onto
22:20Sean's note,
22:21completely forgetting
22:22to leave it at the scene.
22:24However,
22:24when he got to the glass door,
22:26which he had planned
22:26to use as his exit,
22:28he realized that it was now
22:29locked up with a chain.
22:31He panicked
22:32and in his desperation
22:33to get away,
22:34he slammed his head
22:35straight through the window
22:36and face planted
22:37on the sidewalk.
22:38He picked himself back up
22:39and kept running.
22:40He ditched the baton
22:41under a parked car,
22:42Derek pulled over
22:43to the side of the road
22:44to pick him up
22:45and they made their getaway.
22:46As they looked
22:47in the rearview mirror,
22:48nobody was following them.
22:50In the days after,
22:51news about the incident
22:52traveled throughout
22:53the country
22:54and Nancy Kerrigan
22:55had to officially withdraw
22:56from competing
22:57at the US National Championships.
22:59Tonya Harding
23:00went on to win
23:01the US Nationals,
23:02securing her spot
23:03at the Olympics
23:04and so it seemed
23:05like everything
23:06had worked out
23:07as planned.
23:08While Nancy hustled
23:10to recover
23:10from her injury,
23:12people tried to make sense
23:13of what had happened.
23:14Police sketches
23:15of the suspects
23:16started to hit the media
23:17and as Jeff nervously
23:18watched from his TV
23:19at home,
23:20he couldn't help
23:21but laugh.
23:22The sketches looked
23:23nothing like Shane
23:24or Derek.
23:25He breathed
23:25a sigh of relief,
23:26convinced that they
23:27had actually
23:28gotten away with it.
23:29Of course,
23:30that was until
23:30he heard a knock
23:32at the door
23:33from the FBI.
23:35As the investigation
23:36unraveled
23:37and the FBI
23:37brought Jeff in
23:38for questioning,
23:39he was surprised
23:40by just how much
23:41they seemed to know
23:42about everything
23:43that had happened.
23:44It had only been
23:44a week since the attack
23:46and it was as if
23:47the FBI had been there
23:48in the room
23:49right next to them
23:50as they had concocted
23:51the conspiracy
23:52and Jeff eventually
23:53found out why.
23:55See,
23:55while Jeff,
23:56Derek and Shane
23:57had all been lying low
23:58since the attack,
24:00Sean Eckhart
24:00hadn't.
24:01In fact,
24:02on the contrary,
24:03Sean had been out
24:04bragging to just
24:05about everyone
24:06he knew
24:06that he had
24:07organised the hit
24:08and in doing so,
24:10he had changed
24:11the world.
24:12At the time,
24:13Sean was also
24:14studying a paralegal
24:15course,
24:16which he thought
24:16could help him
24:17with building
24:18his bodyguard
24:18enterprise
24:19and he even
24:20started bragging
24:21to his classmates
24:22in the course.
24:23At first,
24:24the other students
24:24thought he was
24:25talking nonsense.
24:26They'd heard him
24:27brag before
24:27about fanciful missions
24:29he'd supposedly
24:29undertaken with
24:30the CIA,
24:31FBI and
24:32counter-terrorism
24:33operations.
24:34But after being
24:34brushed off
24:35and called a liar,
24:37Sean started
24:37showing his
24:38classmates the
24:39tape that he
24:40had secretly
24:40recorded of the
24:41meeting at his
24:42parents' house.
24:43Far from being
24:44impressed by this,
24:46the students
24:46predictably
24:48alerted the FBI.
24:49And it was this
24:50tip that kicked
24:51off a whole bunch
24:52of confessions.
24:53On January 12th,
24:55just six days
24:56after the attack,
24:57the FBI
24:58questioned Sean.
24:59He broke
25:00pretty much
25:00immediately
25:01and he spilled
25:02the beans,
25:03pointing fingers
25:03at Jeff,
25:04Derek and Shane.
25:06On January 19th,
25:07Jeff turned himself
25:08into the FBI
25:09and he agreed
25:10to a plea deal
25:10to testify
25:11against Tonya Harding.
25:13While investigators
25:15continued their
25:15search for evidence,
25:17they sifted through
25:17the rubbish bin
25:18from a restaurant
25:19where Tonya
25:20and Jeff had met
25:21and they found
25:22a discarded envelope.
25:23On it was
25:24a handwritten note
25:25with the name
25:26and address
25:26of the Tony Kent Arena,
25:28Nancy Kerrigan's
25:29practice rink
25:30in Massachusetts.
25:32Handwriting experts
25:33eventually confirmed
25:34that it was
25:35Tonya Harding's
25:36handwriting.
25:37As the scandal
25:38continued to explode,
25:40Tonya's story
25:40kept changing.
25:42At first,
25:42she totally denied
25:43everything,
25:44but after a 10-hour-long
25:45interview with the FBI,
25:47she finally admitted
25:48that after she got back
25:49from the national championships,
25:51she found out
25:52about Jeff's involvement,
25:53but she didn't tell
25:54the police.
25:55According to interviews
25:56with Jeff and Sean,
25:57however,
25:58Tonya knew about
25:59the plan ahead of time
26:00and had actually been
26:01the one to give it
26:02a green light.
26:03The public and the media
26:04demanded that Tonya
26:06be dropped
26:06from the Olympic team
26:07for the role
26:08that she had allegedly
26:09played in Nancy's attack.
26:11And the U.S.
26:12Olympic Committee
26:12agreed,
26:13but when they tried
26:14to do so,
26:15Tonya filed
26:15a $20 million lawsuit
26:17against them
26:18for denying her
26:19due process.
26:20After all,
26:21she hadn't been convicted
26:22of doing anything wrong.
26:24Yet.
26:25So,
26:26despite the swirling
26:27criminal investigation
26:28and public outcry,
26:30Tonya Harding
26:30took one of the spots
26:31on the U.S.
26:32Olympic team
26:33and the other spot
26:34was given
26:35to Nancy Kerrigan.
26:36See,
26:37as it turns out,
26:38the injury Shane
26:39had inflicted on her
26:40was bad,
26:41but it hadn't taken her
26:42out of contention
26:43entirely.
26:44Her long bone,
26:46as Derek called it,
26:47was still intact.
26:48And the U.S.
26:49Olympic Committee
26:49offered Nancy
26:50the other spot
26:51if she still felt
26:52like she was capable
26:53of performing
26:54at a high level.
26:55And so,
26:55both women
26:56hopped on a plane
26:57and headed to
26:58Lillehammer
26:58for what would become
27:00the most intense
27:01Olympic showdown
27:02in U.S. history.
27:04The U.S.
27:05media leaned hard
27:06into the
27:06Tonya vs. Nancy
27:07rivalry,
27:08and TV anchors
27:09were pressured
27:10to sensationalize
27:11every single aspect
27:12of the story,
27:13framing their rivalry
27:14in a watered-down,
27:16easy-to-understand story
27:17of good versus bad.
27:19Tonya was portrayed
27:20as the evil,
27:21jealous trailer trash.
27:22On Nancy,
27:23with her expensive
27:24designer outfits
27:25and big endorsements,
27:26became the adored
27:27Ice Princess.
27:29The 1994
27:30Olympic
27:31Women's Figure Skating
27:32Competition
27:32was anticipated
27:33to be one of the
27:34highest-rated sports
27:36broadcasts
27:36in American
27:37television history.
27:38With viewership
27:39driven almost entirely
27:41by the real-life drama,
27:42reporters documented
27:44every glance
27:45and interaction
27:46between the two skaters.
27:47During their first
27:48practice session
27:49in Lillehammer,
27:50where they both
27:50shared the ice,
27:52Nancy Kerrigan
27:52even wore the exact
27:54same white-laced
27:55skating outfit
27:56that she had been
27:56wearing on the
27:57day of the attack,
27:58which was positioned
27:59by the media
27:59as a calculated,
28:01symbolic act
28:02of defiance,
28:03perhaps even
28:04a declaration
28:04of war.
28:05Though Nancy said
28:07it was just because
28:07she thought it would
28:08be funny.
28:09But despite all of
28:10the chaos around her,
28:11as the competition
28:12began,
28:13Nancy Kerrigan
28:14made it abundantly clear
28:15that the attack
28:16hadn't fazed her.
28:17Nancy pulled off
28:18one of the most
28:19impressive performances
28:20in the short program
28:21that she'd ever done.
28:23She headed into
28:23the final free skate
28:24program in first place
28:26and only seven weeks
28:28after the assault,
28:29in an incredibly close
28:305-4 split decision
28:31by the judges,
28:33she won the silver medal,
28:34narrowly missing out
28:35on gold
28:36to Oksana Bayul
28:37from Ukraine.
28:39However,
28:39Tonya Harding's
28:40Olympic performance,
28:41by contrast,
28:42was a complete meltdown.
28:44She struggled
28:44in the short program
28:45placing 10th
28:46and then during warm-ups
28:48for the free program,
28:49a lace on her right skate
28:50snapped.
28:51Her team scrambled
28:52to find a new one
28:53but it was too short
28:54so her boot
28:55wasn't secure
28:56on her foot.
28:57She hit the ice late,
28:58started her routine
28:59but then messed up
29:00her first jump.
29:01In a chaotic scene,
29:03she then skated over
29:04to the judges,
29:05cried,
29:05and showed them
29:06the loose lace
29:07and begged for a redo.
29:09The judges agreed,
29:10letting her skate again
29:11at the end of the group.
29:12But even with a second shot,
29:14she was clearly rattled
29:15and she ended up
29:16a distant 8th place overall
29:18and the media
29:19and public
29:20all over America
29:21celebrated her meltdown
29:23and her ultimate failure.
29:27After Tonya arrived back home,
29:29in the weeks and months
29:30following the Lillehammer Olympics,
29:32the full legal
29:33and professional consequences
29:34of the attack
29:35came down on everyone
29:36involved in the conspiracy.
29:38On March 16th, 1994,
29:40Tonya Harding appeared
29:42in a Portland courtroom
29:43and accepted a plea bargain
29:45to avoid a trial
29:46and the risk of prison time.
29:48She pleaded guilty
29:49to a single charge.
29:50Conspiracy to hinder
29:51the prosecution
29:52of Nancy Kerrigan's attackers,
29:54a Class C felony.
29:56The plea acknowledged
29:57that she had learned
29:58of the plot
29:58after the fact
29:59and had failed
30:00to report it
30:01to authorities.
30:02She was sentenced
30:02to three years of probation,
30:04ordered to perform
30:05500 hours of community service
30:07and assessed a total
30:09of $160,000
30:10in fines and fees,
30:12which included
30:13a $100,000 fine
30:15to the state,
30:16a $50,000 mandatory donation
30:18to the Special Olympics
30:19and $10,000
30:20to reimburse the county
30:22for legal costs.
30:23An immediate condition
30:24of the plea
30:25was that she resign
30:26from the USFSA,
30:28the United States
30:29Figure Skating Association.
30:31The four men involved
30:32in the plot
30:32all received prison sentences.
30:34Jeff Galooly
30:35and Sean Eckhart
30:36pleaded guilty
30:37to the more serious
30:38federal charge
30:39of racketeering.
30:40Jeff was sentenced
30:41to two years
30:42in federal prison
30:43and fined $100,000
30:44while Sean was given
30:46a prison sentence
30:47of 18 months.
30:48The hitman,
30:49Shane Stant,
30:49and his uncle,
30:50the getaway driver,
30:51Derek Smith,
30:52pleaded guilty
30:53to conspiracy
30:53to commit
30:54second-degree assault
30:55and they were also
30:56both sentenced
30:57to 18 months in prison.
30:59By the end of 1995,
31:01all four men
31:02had served their time
31:03and had been released.
31:04But while Tonya Harding's
31:06plea deal
31:06kept her out of prison,
31:08her career
31:08was far from safe.
31:10The USFSA
31:11conducted their own
31:12internal investigation
31:13and on June 30th
31:14of 1994,
31:16the panel released
31:17its findings,
31:18concluding that
31:19the evidence
31:19they discovered
31:20showed that Tonya
31:21had prior knowledge
31:23and was involved
31:24prior to the incident.
31:25And so,
31:26they handed down
31:27what essentially
31:28amounted to a sports
31:29death penalty.
31:30The USFSA
31:32formally stripped
31:33Tonya of her
31:341994 US Championship
31:36title,
31:36and they banned her
31:37for life
31:38from participating
31:39in any USFSA-sanctioned
31:41event,
31:42either as a skater
31:43or a coach.
31:45This decision
31:45effectively entered
31:46Tonya's career.
31:48Without a membership
31:48in the national
31:49governing body,
31:50she couldn't compete
31:51in eligible competitions.
31:53Nor could she skate
31:54in the lucrative
31:55professional shows
31:56and tours
31:56that were the primary
31:58source of income
31:58for skaters who had
32:00participated in the
32:01Olympics.
32:01This punishment
32:02ended up being far
32:03more impactful
32:04and long-lasting
32:05than what the court
32:06had decided.
32:07While the legal system
32:08offered a chance to
32:09get back on track
32:10after probation,
32:11the USFSA's ban
32:13essentially permanently
32:14erased her from the
32:15world that she had
32:16poured her whole life
32:17into.
32:18In the aftermath of
32:20Lilyhammer,
32:20Nancy Kerrigan
32:21gracefully transitioned
32:22from competitive skating
32:24to a lucrative
32:25professional career.
32:26She signed
32:27multi-million dollar
32:28endorsement deals,
32:29including a huge one
32:30with Walt Disney World,
32:31and she became
32:32a headline star
32:33in ice shows
32:34like Champions on Ice.
32:36She ended up
32:36marrying her agent,
32:37Jerry Solomon,
32:38in 1995,
32:39and after a difficult
32:41struggle that included
32:42six miscarriages,
32:43she raised three children.
32:45But Tonya Harding's
32:47path was starkly
32:48different.
32:49After being banned
32:50from the only profession
32:51she had ever known,
32:52she became a cultural
32:54outcast,
32:55her name practically
32:56a synonym for
32:57cheating and scandal.
32:58She went through
32:59a series of public
33:00struggles and attempts
33:01to cash in on her
33:02notoriety.
33:03She managed
33:04professional wrestlers,
33:05tried her hand at
33:06boxing,
33:06and she popped up
33:07on various reality
33:08TV shows.
33:09For ages,
33:10the name Tonya Harding
33:11was a punchline,
33:13mentioned by late-night
33:14hosts and even
33:15Barack Obama as
33:16shorthand for
33:17taking out a
33:18competitor.
33:19She had become
33:19completely trapped
33:21in infamy,
33:21totally unable to
33:23escape the shadow
33:24of the worst series
33:25of decisions of
33:26her life.
33:27And they didn't
33:27even feel like
33:28her decisions.
33:29For the most part,
33:30it was just something
33:31she nodded along to
33:32while letting her
33:33abusive,
33:34on-again,
33:35off-again
33:35ex-husband
33:36take the reins.
33:39But in 2015,
33:41the understanding
33:42of everything
33:42that had happened
33:43started to shift
33:45when Tonya was
33:46approached by a
33:46screenwriter,
33:47Stephen Rogers,
33:48who had become
33:49interested in her
33:50story.
33:50Stephen was
33:51fascinated by
33:52interviews he'd
33:53seen where Tonya
33:54appeared to see
33:55herself as the
33:56victim in the
33:56story.
33:57For someone who
33:58had been so
33:58clearly connected
33:59to the attack,
34:00it seemed odd
34:01that Tonya could
34:02have such a vastly
34:03different understanding
34:04of everything that
34:05had transpired.
34:06And so,
34:07Stephen started
34:08writing a script
34:08to capture this
34:09seemingly bizarre
34:10contradiction.
34:11And when he
34:12reached out to
34:12Tonya and Jeff
34:13themselves for
34:14interviews,
34:15he started seeing
34:16with increasingly
34:16more and more
34:17clarity what the
34:18existing narrative
34:19around the story
34:20hadn't shown.
34:21Stephen started
34:22seeing the nuance
34:23behind what had
34:24for years been
34:25overlooked and
34:26misunderstood.
34:27And so,
34:28in 2017,
34:29the movie
34:29I, Tonya came
34:31out and totally
34:32shifted how most
34:33people saw Tonya.
34:34The film with
34:35Margot Robbie
34:36playing Tonya
34:37Harding was a
34:37dark, funny
34:38mockumentary that
34:40told the story from
34:41a bunch of
34:41different, sometimes
34:42conflicting angles.
34:44It didn't say
34:44Tonya was innocent,
34:46but it did put her
34:47story into perspective,
34:49showing how the
34:49crime fit into a
34:50life punctuated by
34:52poverty, class
34:53discrimination in her
34:54sport, and constant
34:55physical and emotional
34:56abuse from her mum
34:58and husband.
34:59The movie arrived at
35:00just the right time.
35:01Society was starting
35:02to have a much better
35:03grasp of domestic
35:04violence, trauma, and
35:06the power dynamics
35:06of abuse.
35:07Plus, people were
35:08starting to get
35:09increasingly distrustful
35:11of mainstream media,
35:12which made them more
35:13open to questioning
35:14the clear-cut narrative
35:16from 1994.
35:17The film was a
35:18huge success, earning
35:20over $50 million
35:21off a budget of
35:22just $11 million.
35:23But Tonya didn't
35:24make much money
35:25from the film.
35:26She was only paid
35:27a one-off sum of
35:28about $15,000 for
35:30her image rights
35:31and story.
35:32However, the value
35:33for Tonya came with
35:34how the new lens
35:35on her story
35:36affected her
35:37reputation.
35:38Suddenly, Tonya
35:39Harding wasn't just
35:40a bad guy.
35:41A lot of people
35:42started seeing her
35:43for what she was.
35:44A complicated,
35:45deeply flawed,
35:46but also really
35:47sympathetic figure.
35:49The facts of the
35:49case hadn't changed,
35:51but how society
35:52understood them
35:52had shifted a lot.
35:54And with this shift
35:55came new opportunities
35:57once again.
35:58Tonya started doing
35:59national skating
36:00appearances again.
36:01Not in competition,
36:02but as a guest skater
36:03at small events.
36:04She also became
36:05a motivational speaker
36:06and occasional podcast
36:08guest, talking about
36:09resilience and
36:10surviving public shame.
36:11Today, Tonya lives
36:13a quiet life with
36:14her loving husband
36:15Joseph Price and
36:16their son, Gordon.
36:17When she was asked
36:18about whether she
36:19would try and
36:19encourage Gordon to
36:20become a world-renowned
36:21athlete like her,
36:23she laughed,
36:25saying that it didn't
36:26matter to her in the
36:27slightest.
36:28Rather, she wants to
36:29raise her son outside
36:31the spotlight and to
36:32focus first and foremost
36:34on what she's learned
36:35is actually important
36:36to Gordon's success
36:37and what he chooses
36:39to do in life.
36:39having a good mother.
36:42Having a good mother.