Criminal Assault in the Figure Skating World
On January 6, 1994, a male attacker clubbed figure skater Nancy Kerrigan in the knee during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. He was quickly linked to Kerrigan’s fierce competitor Tonya Harding, and because of where Harding lived and trained, it was the responsibility of Portland Division of the FBI to interview her about the crime. On January 18, 1994, national media satellite trucks gathered as Harding met with FBI agents in Portland for more than 10 hours as part of the investigation. A few months later, she pled guilty to hindering the investigation and was sentenced to probation and community service. Three others served jail time.
The global media spent considerable time reporting on the incident. This made the Kerrigan-Harding incident one of the biggest sports scandals in U.S. history. Kerrigan got a portrayal as good girl and Harding as trailer trash witch.