Assault of Nancy Kerrigan

Assault of Nancy Kerrigan
Cobo Arena, the site of the attack, pictured in 2007
LocationCobo Arena
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Coordinates42°19′35″N 83°2′49″W / 42.32639°N 83.04694°W / 42.32639; -83.04694
DateJanuary 6, 1994; 30 years ago (1994-01-06)
c. 2:35 PM (EST (UTC−05:00))
TargetNancy Kerrigan
Attack type
Bludgeoning
WeaponASP telescopic baton
InjuredNancy Kerrigan
Perpetrators
  • Jeff Gillooly
  • Shawn Eckardt
  • Derrick Smith
AssailantShane Stant
AccusedTonya Harding
Charges
LitigationHarding v. US Figure Skating Ass'n, 851 F. Supp. 1476 (D. Or. 1994)

On January 6, 1994, Nancy Kerrigan, an American figure skater, was struck on the lower right thigh with a baton by assailant Shane Stant as she walked down a corridor in Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Kerrigan had been practicing skating on an ice rink in the arena shortly beforehand.

The attack was planned by Jeff Gillooly, then-husband of fellow American figure skater Tonya Harding, and his co-conspirator Shawn Eckardt.[1][2][3] They hired Stant and his uncle Derrick Smith to carry out the attack. Gillooly and Eckardt both claimed that Harding was involved in the attack and had knowledge of it beforehand. Harding initially denied all knowledge of the attack,[4][5] but soon accepted a plea agreement admitting to helping cover up the attack after the fact.[6][7] Later, both a grand jury[8] and a disciplinary panel from the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA)[9] found further evidence of Harding's involvement during the planning and execution phases.

The attack was intended to prevent Kerrigan from taking part in the ongoing 1994 United States Figure Skating Championships and the forthcoming Winter Olympics, thus increasing the prospects of Harding in both figure skating events. Kerrigan could not compete in the US Championship but recovered in time to compete in the Winter Olympics. Both women competed in the 1994 Olympics, and Harding was later banned for life from USFSA figure skating events.[10]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference swift was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Flashback: Kerrigan & Harding". ESPN. November 19, 2003. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  3. ^ Longman, Jere (February 6, 1994). "Sports: Whole World is Watching". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Hamilton, William (January 15, 1994). "Three Held in Assault on Kerrigan". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Janofsky, Michael (January 15, 1994). "Third Suspect Arrested by F.B.I. In the Attack on Olympic Skater". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Orlando Sentinel was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Los Angeles Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference USFSA decision was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Brennan, Christine (July 1, 1994). "Harding Stripped of Title; Banned for Life". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.