On Jan. 6, 1994, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by an assailant with a metal baton while leaving a practice session in Detroit. She was originally a favourite to win the Figure Skating Championships, but was now forced to the sidelines. In her absence, 1991 champion Tonya Harding took the spotlight and won the US title, as well as a spot on the US Olympic team. However, it wasnt long before accomplice Shawn Eckardt caved and informed the FBI about a plot that he put together with Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly. Harding shockingly admitted that she had in fact known of the attack, but only learned about it after the event. She avoided being kicked off the US team after a swift lawsuit, but when Kerrigan recovered in time to compete in Lillehammer, the competition became the ultimate showdown. Heading into the finals, Kerrigan was in first place, ahead of Ukrainian teenager and world champion Oksana Baiul and France's Surya Bonaly. Harding was a distant 10th. In the finals a controversial judging decision led to Kerrigan receiving a silver medal. Harding, somehow, avoided jail.
