Skater Nancy Kerrigan Assaulted
On this day in 1994, Nancy Kerrigan of Stoneham was practicing for the U.S Figure Skating championships. As she left the ice and stopped to speak to a reporter, a man assaulted her with a club. Forced to drop out of the competition, Kerrigan recovered in time to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. A media frenzy followed Kerrigan and teammate Tonya Harding to the games, on the ice and off. Kerrigan's assailant had confessed and told police that he was part of a plot involving Harding, her bodyguard, and her husband. Since Harding had not been formally charged with a crime, she was allowed to compete although she did not skate well. Kerrigan turned in a nearly flawless performance but came in second to young Ukrainian Oksana Baiul.