Video: 'Nancy Kerrigan Attack - Raw Footage - January 6, 1994'
(Thursday, January 6, 1994, at about 2:40 p.m. EST; during the assault of Nancy Kerrigan) — In an incident that shook the world of figure skating, Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the leg today by an assailant linked to rival Tonya Harding at Detroit’s Cobo Arena.
Kerrigan was struck on the lower right thigh with a telescopic baton by Shane Stant as she walked down a corridor in Cobo Arena. She had been practicing skating on an ice rink in the arena shortly beforehand.
A camera crew began recording again shortly after the attack and recorded Kerrigan sitting on the floor crying surrounded by arena staff. Here, Kerrigan exclaimed the now-famous line, “Why? Why? Why?”
The attack severely bruised her knee and quadriceps tendon and forced her to withdraw from the U.S. Championships.
Video: 'Almanac: The Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding scandal'
The attack was planned by Jeff Gillooly, Harding’s ex-husband, and his co-conspirator Shawn Eckardt. 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, but soon accepted a plea agreement admitting to helping cover up the attack after the fact.
Later, both a grand jury and a disciplinary panel from the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) found further evidence of Harding’s involvement during the planning and execution phases.
Video: 'When Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding Squared Off, Years After Infamous Attack'
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.
Gillooly, Eckardt, Smith, and Stant would go to prison for their roles in the attack.
