Tonya Harding - 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate (ABC)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - 1991 United States Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Free Skate - Tonya Harding not only skated a near perfect program, but she became the first American ladies skater to land the triple Axel in a sanctioned amateur/eligible competition. She would upset Kristi Yamaguchi to win the Gold Medal here.

[@iluvcamaros1912]

I'm no expert on figure skating whatsoever, but I find this woman to be an absolute inspiration. She seems to have lacked everything this sport demanded to succeed -- a stable family, financial support, emotional support, slender figure, elegant manners, and establishment "approval." Nevertheless, her raw talent is breathtaking to behold. She seems to always be "skating for her life" rather than for Gold. I mean how many kids from such a disadvantaged background would look upon a "Mt Everest" like the triple axel and say "I'm gonna do it." She's less Ice Princess -- and more Warrior Queen.

[@msmo2060]

She looks pretty slender to me

[@jakob1095]

@@msmo2060 no?

[@aspenrobinson8797]

Tonya played dirty !! Lots of skaters come ftim nothing back in the 80's and 90's. Plushenko lived away from home in one room . Lots of skaters live with their coaches and have sponsors to support them. Tonya wanted gold and needed Nancy our of the way. She was trash and played like trash. She got caught and blamed everyone and everything except herself. That I Tonya movie was from her own perspective ...such a joke .

[@zzulm]

True, when her equipment wasn't working right and she had to quit she had so much pain when going to the judges. You can see that skating was what she loved the most and was heartbroken.

[@wholelotanothin1]

@@aspenrobinson8797 Nancy, on her best day never was as good as this performance by Tonya. Tonya had no reason to fear Nancy….none! It’s not like Nancy could do a triple AXLE! You and your ilk (news media) turned on her and caused undo stress…..I’d argue had her husband not assaulted Nancy, Tonya very well may have won Gold.

[@Cmc995]

Truly one of the best skating performances of all time

[@saludosalsol]

I love hearing the announcers from back then, they actually had emotion and expression in their voice. Like they’re actually invested in her and happy when the skater succeeds, not just nitpicking for any possible flaw and being monotone.

[@pedropelaez]

How she did not get more 6.0’s for technical merits in this era with a triple axle, triple lutz, a triple triple combo, and great spinning is beyond me.

[@Dylvente]

Yes, seven triples was almost unheard of at the time (I think only Midori Ito had done that). Not only did she do the jumps but they were exceptionally high and the landings were so precise and smooth. Even if we discounted the second triple toe as under-rotated, this program merits a 6.0 easily. She literally did every triple jump it is possible to do, all in one performance. What does earn a 6.0 if not this?

[@valmacclinchy]

​@@Dylvente exactly 💯

[@Dylvente]

@@goober479 Yes, I think that made the difference in close calls. Fortunately, when she skated a clean program (or close to clean, as at Worlds this same year) I think she got the medal she deserved. When she messed up because of erratic training habits and self-created personal problems, she gave any biased judges an excuse to mark her down unduly, and the problem is she did that too often in her career. Imagine if she had stayed at her 1991 level of commitment for the rest of her years in skating!

[@Dylvente]

@@goober479 For me the truth is somewhere in between the extremes of wanting attention/fake drama and being a helpless victim. I think the physical and sexual abuse she suffered probably made some behavioral problems inevitable (and make her professional athletic accomplishments almost unbelievable!) but I also think she had choices, like the choice to either not be involved in the planning of the attack on Kerrigan or the choice to tell the authorities what she knew before (or, in the most optimistic scenario, which I desperately want to believe, after) the attack. She remains one of my favorite athletes of all time. She became my immediate favorite when I was 8 and watched the women's 1992 Olympic free skate, and then I remember being disappointed when she didn't win a medal at Worlds that year. I don't know exactly why she was my favorite, as I thought Nancy and Kristi were wonderful too, but there was just something special about Tonya. I did not mean to disparage her or discount the immensity of her accomplishments overall. The number of national- and world-level medals she won is more than enough to place her among the greats even with the slip-ups in her training and performance.

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

​@@Dylvente agreed

[@VioletJoy]

This was her best performance. I'll bet she watches this and smiles. It's truly a performance to be proud of. It was exciting to watch at the time and just as exciting to watch now. 🌟

[@Mlav2991]

Her energy and happinness when finishing the performance is heartbreaking. After working and working hard without enough support

[@carlavelasquez9743]

I think the skating world at the time was not ready for Tonya. Figure skating always looked for the delicate artistic skater, but diversity is always beautiful, and I think Tonya was different in a good way. She brought personality to figure skating! It is unfortunate everything that happened, I think she would have thrived regardless of what the judges and the skating community thought because she had the audience at her side 💖

[@nbkhmb5]

💯 I believe she would have won more with todays scoring system that rewards innate athleticism like hers

[@JaneSmith0709]

After all the terrible things this woman has been through it makes me so happy to watch this video of her glory days. I only wish that she could have continued on that path. I'm not sure where things started to go downhill for her but I'm not trying to judge anyone, I'm just glad she had a moment like this in her life. Everyone needs one of these moments.

[@sherrilyon2096]

Always an underdog, but grit and determination for a broken kid that just wanted to be loved. She made history whether the skating profession acknowledges her or not. She has paid her dues in all aspects of her life. May God bless her and may she prosper!

[@truenorth7949]

FLAWLESS!!! i can watch this over and over. She's a beast on ice and she made history here! There are other good skaters out there, but it's rare one person can bring different qualities together on ice, and Tonya did just that, which makes her skating so awesome to watch.

[@evaschroeder4614]

One of the best skaters in the world.

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

Absolutely ❤

[@grahamgalland9898]

Such an awesome program. My favourite program for technical ability ever. The height she got on those jumps are insane. An absolute travesty that she never got any support from the skating federation in the USA. A little kindness from them would have gone a long way. Amazing skater for sure. This program is all about what guts, determination and TALENT is all about. But most of all was about proving all those doubters wrong. Her coach needs a mention too for sticking by her and supporting her throughout.

[@movadopika]

Everyone makes mistakes in their life, Tonya's was at the Olympics. However, knowing what we know now about her personal life, she did not deserve to be banned from the Skating Federation to prevent her from becoming a professional or teaching in the sport to earn a living. At the very least, she made history with the Triple Axel and hopefully this is what most will be remember her for in the future.

[@shihlin1]

1991 her BEST year ! Another near win over Yamaguchi at the World's, but lost focus after landing another triple axel in the long program. But avenged the loss over Kristi at Skate America in the fall. But the following year in 92 everything just started to unravel. Meeting Jeff Gilooly and switching coaches proved to be Tonya's undoing.

[@crazeekids9744]

I think Tonya’s talent is appropriated more now than at the time. The early 90’s were a very different time. It was more about fitting in back then, and Tonya stood out. The judges were harder on her too because she didn’t have the “look” of so called “class” that they wanted.

[@diannashuster5594]

The joy is written all over her! Beautiful skater.

[@drew8703]

There needs to be a statute somewhere of Tanya doing that little celebration after the triple axle. It really is a great, iconic sports moment of the 90s.

[@rebekkad.2092]

After all the chaos in her life, it is easy to forget just how fabulous she was at one time.

[@aspenrobinson8797]

They always praised her . She was not ignored and treated unfair, she did that to herself .

[@marianabellei]

This is probably one of my favorite videos in the world. It's beautiful and inspiring. She is the best! Even having everything to not be able to be.

[@user-gu1hu1kg4s]

I cry every time I watch this!! She knew she did something great that no one can take away from her. She was the best female skater and it’s just tragic how her career ended.

[@loreeclarymusicvideos9545]

If you’ve never strapped on a pair of ice skates and tried to balance yourself on a thin blade, you have no idea how hard and tiring it is. Plus the boots themselves wear your legs out fast. Tonya makes it look easy and there is absolutely nothing easy about it. She was and always will be the best!!!!

[@reneenordeen9447]

She should have gotten the gold. She should have had it all. She was pure talent, no bullsh*t, just pure talent.

[@OGGuy-xb1yk]

Can’t help but be sad that such a talent was taken over by evil men and led astray. Truly, one of the most powerful, true jumpers. And she was exciting. When many of the other ladies were doing doubles, or 3-2, she did almost all triples plus a 3-3. How was that not deserving of a 6.0 in those times. Today, all the position changes, change of directions, multi-directional bs has made skating boring. A fast straight line step sequence and fast forward scratch spin is infinitely more entertaining and more difficult than the slow steps and spins today. It’s no wonder why skating has fallen off a cliff.

[@kellyprice1368]

The speed of her every time I see this I get tears in my eyes. Beautifull 💗

[@victoriousmoments2509]

Holy Jesus! I watched her as a kid and now I’m older I had to watch it again. She made me want to skate too. Lol.. kick ass! Take names!!

[@heathermac4024]

What a powerhouse such a talented natural born skater Dame she was such a amazing skater she did it effortlessly and with such precision and grace it's so sad it ended the way it did for Tonya she was so gifted she was born to skate she had no fear just amazing to watch

[@yacoabreu9]

Her response to herself as she finishes her routine is so infectious it makes us feel as if we just accomplished such a remarkable feat!

[@timsullivan4687]

The most powerful skater I've ever seen...man or woman...regardless of the outcome of her career, tonya is a damn LEGEND

[@scottw9318]

This is the performance I saw that first got me hooked on watching figure skating. I still can't tell the differences between some of the jumps, but I never miss watching a competition!

[@theatre_am]

After watching a movie about her, I felt very sorry for this athlete.

[@KILLER_B-y6t]

I wasn't into skating, but everyone knew her. I thought she was so sexy! My girlfriend was jealous 😂

[@adventurousx8220]

Did you see her keep doing those triples after her triple Axel no one does that she was incredible on the ice

[@larainevanetten5311]

Beautiful ! Takes my breath away just like when i watched it live. So exciting. Perfection.

[@ilayyyyy]

She didn't need a big story, She was a big story on her own when she skates.

[@tooba1819]

Admit it. You just watched this for the 100th time.

[@drew8703]

I like the NutraSweet ad/sponsorship.

[@tonichavez7020]

That's a damn CHAMPION right there!

[@rebahensley5323]

That first announcer was so positive. Not a courtesy always extended to Tonya.

[@jcampezzi1027]

He was a former multi World champion ice skater. He knew what it took to complete a 3Axel.

[@TheCandisr]

Just phenomenal!

[@minoyd]

This is undeniably one of the best moments in skating history. Right alongside Midori landing the first ladies *0lympic 3A in 92.

[@jcampezzi1027]

Tonya did a quad in a commercial .

[@rhyndawatson4173]

She did the thing!!

[@OceanbornAngel]

Tonya's style and athletic skating would have fit in more with Figure Skating in 2022 than the early 90's when a more feminine style was preferred.

[@unknown-lf6zx]

Never saw her skate before the comtroversy. Boy she was good

[@poorthing]

rewatching some of the top programs from past years, after the 2022 Olympics and the mess that turned into!! . This was spectacular. American talent! Tonya was the best at this in time. I believe her scores should have been even higher- 6.0 with her subsequent downfall and banning (unwarranted imo) she will always be able to look at this and know she was great, I think she could have had it all but it was not to be.

[@damariscanela7740]

Wow, wow, wow. This is incredible to watch.

[@patwhit8414]

So beautiful, so strong, so perfect! Still the best and exciting to watch!

[@gfree4173]

Tonya you rock!

[@mitchelrichardson8164]

I have been texting Tonya a message on 23/11/2021 and she replied to me a week later on 29th November at exactly 0:43am with a big surprise on my face. it was such a great pleasure to get a messaged back from Tonya. =) I am now a fan of her. she is 51 years old now.

[@kylerobin6718]

This would still beat most US performances these days. 3-3 combo, all the jumps, 3A with some choreo adjustments to rack up skating skills points as well.

[@kaitlynblack8366]

She's always been my uncontested favorite.

[@SantaCruzCowboy]

I love this video..Tony is so cool!!!...and she can still do a double to this day.....that is the definition of bad ass..u go girl

[@snopesshop1903]

Kristy is so sweet applauding for the competition!

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

they were friends

[@gracepolzin5758]

Tonya Made History !!! Ohhh She Could Of Went All The Way. Still She Did More In Her life Than Most Ever Do. Sorry For Nancy .....

[@sphumendlovu7482]

She ate and left no crumbs no one can ever take this away from her.

[@joeprice2319]

No one can take this away from her!

[@cmpl24]

Joe Price indeed that’s the fact. She’s the greatest skater during her time. Love her Movie I, Tonya.

[@lsrasr158]

Actually, cmpl24, at the 92 albertville olympics, Scott Hamilton said Tonya was the 2nd best technical skater in the world behind Midori Ito. Midori was far and away the best skater in the world at this time.

[@stefanicvetanoska505]

@@lsrasr158 actually newsflash Midori is amazing , but tonya was the first woman to ever do two triple axels (3A+3A) the first woman to ever do a triple axel in a short program and the first woman to ever do a triple axel in a combination ( with a double toe loop). Though i agree with you Midori was amazing , but Tonya was too.

[@sadiedeveau9318]

The only one that took it away from Tonya was Tonya herself.

[@whitecat3923]

@@stefanicvetanoska505 WOW!! 3A+3A?!?..😃👍🏼👌🏼I didn't know....

[@taylormarshall5543]

At that moment she was the best in the world.

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

She's best no matter what.

[@ravenel2]

What about Midori Ito?

[@Emeowlord]

@@ravenel2 during 1991 Tonya had the best scores in female figure skating that year hence to why everyone said she was better than Midori because the first time Midori went up against Tonya that year she beat her and with the high scores Tonya revived she was called the best female figure skater that year

[@zurieljoshua]

@@Emeowlord who wins a competition doesn't make them the best skater in the competition. We have countless, literally countless, examples of that throughout sporting history. Midora jumps were higher, more consistent, and she blended it with a peppy and fluid style that was all her own. She is still the best ladies jumper in history (height, speed and consistency matter more than skinny little things being able to pop off a quad 8 inches off the ice before their bodies mature).

[@shihlin1]

@@ali_tafa006 Tonya knew about the hiring of thugs.

[@1000huzzahs]

DAMN, the woman can skate. There's no doubt the power behind those technical moves. She was up against it all - no endorsements, little money, a personality that's rough around the edges, not playing the "game" of it all, not trying to be the "ice princess," and daring to be more muscular and athletic in her routines. Others are right, no one can take moments like this away from her no matter the trouble she got herself into later on.

[@mr_coffee9917]

Riff Chick yes and the trouble may necessary be created by her , it was her husband

[@aspenrobinson8797]

Riff Chick It cost $1000 a week for a coach, plus there is dresses, choreography, music, traveling, fees to skate at competitions, gym, massages, nails.. some have to pay for their coaches travel fair. Tonya did all this..she was not the poor little girl you all think she was. OSKANA was poor though and lived in a room and then with her coach orphaned..so many other left their home and family for two years at a time to train with coach because they couldn't afford to train any other way. TONYA was one of the lucky ones , nobody treated her like trash , they all cheered her on. She was in a Texaco commercial and a news show endorsement. . She had a wonderful coach that guided her along and you can see Tonya in a documentary telling her to shut up and cussing and stomping off on her. 92Instead of being the great athlete she always thought she had to prove , why didn't she train harder and not resort to cheap tactics and dirty deeds to get ahead. Oh yeah that wasn't her fault ...please Lol. She always thought she deserved more and didn't play by the rules . Even her asthma woild be better if she quit smoking.

[@gisazurnieden9058]

edited because of some typos @@aspenrobinson8797 Her name is Oksana ;) And she had other support Systems in the Country she came from. Tonya WAS poor, and if Diane Rawlinson hadn't donated most of her Training fees it wouldn't have been possible. Some of Tonya's costumes had to be sewn by Hand (first by her mother, then by herself), and even the bought or professionally sewn ones weren't created by Designers like Vera Wang. She probably had to make do without massages etc. and I am absolute sure she did her nails herself and didn't use expensive make-up etc. She WAS viewed as trash by many People in the Skating Scene. If you don't know the context of the Scene out of the documentary "Sharp Edges", where Tonya tells Diane to be quiet (she says "Please" btw!!) you really shouldn't Judge. Tonya tried to explain something to Diane and Diane just talked over her until Tonya hadn't another Option than to Interrupt her (she stormed off to skate eventually when Diane still wouldn't listen). And the Texaco Commercial was one of very few chances. The other Skaters got far more Commercials, endorsements deals etc. yes, Smoking when you have Asthma certainly isn't sensible, it is self-destructive or even self-harming, but the Trauma Tonya suffered through the abuse by her mother and Jeff Gillooly is an Explanation for that. Trauma sometimes makes you act irrational and even self-sabotaging/self-destructive. (I know that from own experiences with being abused :( ) This is not abot excuses for everything that went wrong in Tonya's life, but About explanations. And she wasn't the ringleader in the Kerrigan attack. She has not a TOTALLY clean slate, but she's NOT as guilty as many People want her to be. All the "hard" evidence against her is actually rather shaky. This article explains it nicely: mahonblog.com/b14jan26.htm So it really wasn't ALL her fault and she wasn't the dirty plotting criminal. Some People just seem to WANT to hate Tonya because it's much easier to condemn her completely than to take a closer look. There are many shades of Grey in this Story.

[@stefanicvetanoska505]

@@aspenrobinson8797 Tonya lived in a small house. Tonya had to make her own fur coat. Tonya's mother worked three jobs. Tonya had cheap skates and finally Tonya made the costumes herself. The training was paid by her mother. When tonya got famous , like any other famous skater she got a lot of money. That's how she paid for all the fees. Also She wasn't loved at first because she wasn't prim and perfect and because she couldn't afford a lot of stuff at first. Even judges admitted that she wasn't always named the best because they judged on presentation (costumes) as well. You could see Tonya's dresses they are obviously self made. Oh and Tonya was way better than Nancy Kerrigan. Her husband hired other people to do the attack on Nancy. Tonya didn't know how to behave because her mother never taught her anything. Tonya was constantly abused and beaten. If you ask me little princess Nancy needs to stop crying about ONE HIT in the knee. She wasn't beaten repeatedly , Nancy was hit once. Tonya worked through an arm stab by her own mother , and constant beatings. So Tonya was strong and you don't have a shitty idea about what you're talking about. Also In the documentary which u spoke of im sure you don't even know it's called "Truth and Lies" it also shows a video clip of her mother yelling at her on the phone. Please do some research first. With all do respect you can't judge somebody you don't know a shit thing about.

[@sadiedeveau9318]

@@stefanicvetanoska505 omg. Tonya's coach paid for EVERYTHING even her traveling, skating fees, clothes etc...coached for free. That coach was Ike a mother to her guiding her. Read up on some interviews from her coach. She tells it out of her own mouth. Tonya never made a costume..her mom did and so what. A lot of skaters came to the states and lived in a room sharing a bathroom, away from all family. You never hear them whine and blame everyone else for their mistakes and bad choices . If Tonya practiced and focused she may of won those Olympics instead of plotting to take out Nancy and trying to skate after all that. Did she really think they would just sweep Nancy under the rug and that would be thd end of it. BTW I can't stand Nancy, but Tonya always blames others and never takes accountability for her choices.

[@captainh3831]

When she was good, she was sooo good.

[@andressegui1236]

apparently she still is good

[@letticiadelgado9865]

andres segui that's what I was gonna say

[@1mondavia2]

She is the reason ladies are now doing tripples and quads jumps.. what a shame. she could have been one of the greatest skaters if not for the scandal

[@3Axel1996]

Actually, it's her and Kristi Yamaguchi, and then with Nancy Kerrigan who set the stage for US Ladies to start putting more difficult triples in their routines.

[@kev7978]

3Axel1996 And they wouldn't have done it without Midori Ito, that's for sure.

[@officeaddict33]

Lillian Eversole Tonya is not THE reason women focused on triples/quads. Midori was trying triple Axels in practice in the mid-80's. If you watch Midori's programs all the way up to 1991 they were technically stunning. Tonya was competing in the mid to late 80's obviously too but had not risen to the top as quickly as Midori did. The late 80's / early 90's saw the big jumpers come to the forefront when the figures were dropped. There was a big change in ladies skating over that time.

[@JairTheLiteraryMasturbator]

You can go back even further. Tiffany Chin was doing triple axels in practice and Denise Bielmann who is more famous for the spin named after her was the first woman to do a triple lutz. Before her most women did triple salchow and triple toe because they are the easiest. When Elaine Zayak won the World Championships completing 7 triples she mostly repeated those jumps. That's when the, "Zayak Rule" came into play that you could only repeat a triple if you did it in combination. I remember how when Debi Thomas won the '86 US Nationations Jim McKay commented how she was doing 5 triples and complimented Dick Button on being the first skater to do a triple jump ever. She did two triple Salchows & triple toes and one triple loop.

[@mattg.812]

+officeaddict33 Indeed. Isn't it hilarious how people will make proclamations about something as if they are an authority, when they're completely wrong?

[@LizRocksMySox]

Brilliant skater. This is how I think of her and hope the public remembers this more.

[@extra_ice_girl]

Sadly they don't.

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

iamkarenh I do

[@tarantulabunnydog]

I cried watching her here - the joy from hard work paying off.

[@malvavisco10]

Now that the movie about her is out (yes, I know your comment is 3 years old) I think that's changed a little. A lot of people don't entirely trust her motives, rightly so, but understand her back story a bit more and where she was coming from.

[@RhaegarTargaryen1st]

Look at that smile on her face! What a moment and it can't be taken away from her. To paraphrase Stannis Baratheon: A bad act doesn't cancel out a good one nor does a good cancel out a bad. I see Tonya not as a villainess but as a tragic heroine. Once she knew what had happened to Nancy (I don't believe she knew beforehand) she should have gone to the authorities. For whatever reasons she didn't and must face the consequences for being an accessory after the fact, but a lifetime ban and complete erasure from the sport is and was too harsh a punishment.

[@dmcpoyle4699]

Rhaegar Targaryen I think your 99% right. However, I don't think she was 100% in the dark about the attack. I think it basically was one of those nights where you go out with friends, whatever, and have a few and start up with some thoughts that should never see the light of day. No matter how small or extreme, we all have done it. What a crazy situation. Who's going to see the movie? Margot Robbie, looks like, did a phenomenal job!!!

[@tehliah05]

The ban was something the federation was looking for with her. She didn’t fit the mold of Wholesome and American. She was the rebel, and poor, and not what ice skating was wanting to promote. I’ve been apart of grooming processes in ballet- it is no different with ice skating. If they don’t like one thing about you, they will spend every waking hour trying to push you out. The attack with Kerrigan was opportunity for the federation to kick out their troublemaker (even though her talent was what the federation needed).

[@mr_coffee9917]

Rhaegar Targaryen exactly just how Sharapova was banned for real small negligence people just want to o crush powerful women

[@gennykoala2113]

tehliah05 what’s sad is that they chose image over talent. Honestly, Nancy was a beautiful skater but she would’ve never ever achieved what Tonya did. If they would’ve just given Tonya a chance instead of worrying about image, Tonya would have a been an inspiration to millions of skater who had similar upbringings as herself, that with hard work, passion and dedication you can achieve anything. But unfortunately they preferred prim-proper princess over actual potential and talent

[@RonWylie-gk5lc]

Good for you, I have written more or less the same above, this new film will help to show people that she was to trusting and how he was a very complicated and dangerous domineering man. "Good for you Tonya" , I hope we will she her on tv, she deserves to have the love she lost through that horrible time when she should have been on top of the world

[@vistaprime]

She just made history. they should have given her more 6.0's for technical merit. And the spins were awesome too.

[@karenaudreytodd]

She should have gotten 7's, they always marked her down because she didn't play all the ass kissing games.

[@mozartandi]

She never got enough credit for her spins. The positions in her spins were always soo strong, so fast, and so centered.

[@eduardoms5316]

Hi :)

[@snopesshop1903]

No she couldn’t do a layback or a spiral, it’s not just jumps that matter

[@vistaprime]

@@snopesshop1903 her layback was just fine. and spirals in those days were mostly mediocre by Cohen and Bobek standards. Her spins were fast and well centered and showed variations in positions.

[@StephanieNau910]

It's ashame that scandall took away light from her talent. She was amazing!!!

[@auntiechercher4266]

I love Tonya's set up for the Triple Axel - she does that beautifully!

[@CharlotteFairchild]

Did she ever skate better than this day? She is one of the greatest skaters ever.

[@redbeardnc6684]

Her 3A was flawless in Skate America later, but this first time will still be my favorite skate of hers.

[@RCAvhstape]

Came here after watching the movie scene, I didn't realize they recreated it almost shot for shot, same camera angles, even the announcer. And this is amazing to see the real Tonya in action at the height of her powers.

[@KodziroHyuga]

hehehe im watching it right now and thats why i came here :D cool movie even if you dont like figure ice skating

[@jimczerniak9260]

same just watched it was ba

[@queenmaoasada8447]

She threw it all away... Even before The Incident. She arrived at the Albertville Games a day or two before the Ladies competition began, which is something Olympic-level athletes just don't do... And she *still* managed to place 4th. She was an asthmatic smoker and was chronically undertrained.

[@gisazurnieden9058]

@@queenmaoasada8447 According to Tonya's Coach Diane Rawlinson (in a 1993 profile About tonya Harding, available here on KZbin) it wasn't Tonya's fault that she arrived late at Albertville. She was Held back by officials because they were not sure wether she should be allowed to takle part/wether she was good enough, also for Health Tests, if I am not mistaken. yes, Smoking when you have Asthma certainly isn't sensible, it is self-destructive or even self-harming, but the Trauma Tonya suffered through the abuse by her mother and Jeff Gillooly is an Explanation for that. Trauma sometimes makes you act irrational and even self-sabotaging/self-destructive. (I know that from own experiences with being abused :( ) This is not about excuses for everything that went wrong in Tonya's life, but About explanations. And she wasn't the ringleader in the Kerrigan attack. She has not a TOTALLY clean slate, but she's NOT as guilty as many People want her to be. All the "hard" evidence against her is actually rather shaky. This article explains it nicely: mahonblog.com/b14jan26.htm So it wasn't really her who threw it away. (Actually she did get amazingly far, considering the horrible circumstances...)

[@keeganthorpe]

This performance by Tonya, among others is one of the reasons I believe her when she says she didn't know about the attack on Nancy. Nancy just wasn't on Tonya's level technically.

[@baritonebynight]

Exactly, Nancy Kerrigan couldn't compete with Tonya Harding as an athlete. That's why I don't believe that Tonya had anything to do with planning the attack....but she sure suffered from it. Many people think Tonya was the one who wacked her on the knee.

[@chriscoyne9717]

Keegan Thorpe Nancy at her weak moments looks so amateur, while Tonya, at her worst always managed to do something impressive in her performance, Nancy fell on combination spins!

[@chriscoyne9717]

Nancy was not quite on the same level as Kristi, Tonya and Midori Ito

[@ravenel2]

I feel for Tonya but that is baloney. Being an Olympic or world champion means you can withstand the pressure of the Olympics or Worlds against the best of the best from other countries. Tonya was a national champion but never a world champion. Michelle Kwan, Nancy Kerrigan and Sasha Cohen didn’t win Olympic gold, but Nancy was gutsy enough to come back from an injury and win silver. It’s the person who can stay on their feet and perform through that kind of pressure. As amazing as she was here, Tonya didn’t do that. Americans think because someone pulled off an amazing triple axel at U.S. nationals that they will do it consistently in the Olympics and they are the best in the world without ever having to prove that in an international competition. Uh, no. And disparaging Nancy for being a tall ice princess is just as misogynistic as attacking Tonya for being a short powerhouse.

[@SamiLo2]

I swear I think it’s more believable that Nancy was behind her own attack to ruin Tonya’s career than it is that Tonya was behind the attack to ruin Nancy’s career. Nancy was nothing compared to Tonya.

[@BobtailTM30]

This performance proves that she is the legend in figure skating that she is....Tonya Harding was and will always be one of the best of all time!!!!!

[@kamwrites]

That boot came so close to hitting the ice on the edge, LOL! Wow. Her jumps were just insane. I hate that she's not really remembered for this.

[@garpikemike1]

kamwrites yeah...so unfair!!

[@sunshinejewel2952]

it was her own doing

[@yolandamagallon3701]

kamwrites what was up with Christie yamaguchi face? I know its jealousy lol

[@bobbylawrence3517]

What is she remembered by than ?

[@KatB426]

For her part in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan in 1994.

[@namasteme]

they can never take this away from her , well done tonya, and the skating would not be as not for you

[@TheFlightofthewalrus]

It makes me emotional to see this. It’s such a show of the absolute height of grace, control and agility that a human body can reach. What talent and perseverance it must take to reach this level. It’s so far beyond anything I can imagine myself being able to do.

[@mickrise]

I just watched I, Tonya.... I think I owe her an apology. Sorry Tonya.

[@kkstar1297]

Why do you have to apologize to her? She destroyed Nancy Kerrigan.

[@crazeekids9744]

@@kkstar1297 no, she didn’t

[@kkstar1297]

@@crazeekids9744 Yes she did. She knew this attack on her was going to happen because she planned it. She knew that Kerrigan had a chance of beating her so she devised the scheme that cost her from competing ever again.

[@jcampezzi1027]

@@kkstar1297 WOW you know better than the FBI. Even the FBI couldn't prove it. So STFU. She was found guilty of hindering......Basically not snitching on her husband AFTER the fact.

[@whitecat3923]

@@kkstar1297 SHE DIDN'T!!!

[@searanch32]

Such an incredible talent. Wonder what she could have been had she had more of a "normal" upbringing and personal life with more positive influences. With more steady and regimented training time and less disruptions, she probably could have been one of the most dominant skaters in history. I absolutely love watching this performance.

[@mattg.812]

+tide32athlete Maybe if she had those things, she'd never have been a skater at all.

[@searanch32]

Very true. Either way, I'm glad we at least got what we got from her. She made ice skating more exciting than anyone else, on and off the ice.

[@chocolatesupport]

+tide32athlete A great comment. Because of her broken and troubled background, and lack of financial resources and even having her own skating federation being unsupportive and discriminate, consider all of these factors and how Tonya was still able to achieve what she was able to achieve in skating. This only shows that Tonya is one of the greatest figure skaters ever in the history of the sport.

[@karenlm9062]

You might be overlooking the idea that because of her life and upbringing is what drove her to be this great ... just for a moment it all had a purpose.

[@b0rtie]

I think a better question would be: What if the USFA had done everything in their power to promote and nurture Tonya after witnessing her run during the 91 season. She landed a 3axel at National and won it; then went on to kill it at 91 Skate America. If only the federation had her back, her already established grit and perseverance from her hard childhood would’ve been fortified that much more!

[@tracyeveritt766]

I get goose bumps every time I watch Tonya Harding's genius ice skating. Humankind is truly awe-inspiring when we see it in rare moments like this. She has just shown the world what humankind is capable of, at its very utmost, very best possible. She has shown us what Imagination of genius and passion can do, how to break new territory, and crash through barriers into new ways of being alive.

[@tjp2109]

Did you see the height on that triple axle. Good gravy. Her jumps were incredible.

[@troyaturner1979]

It's sad yes, but Good Lord can she jump. She gets more height than a LOT of today's skaters. I miss skaters like her and Irina Slutskaya.

[@remyparaskovia5499]

Word

[@douglasvarley3633]

Irina had no artistry at all. She was a horse on ice. Tonya atleast had a bit of artistry when skating well to go along with her powerful jumps.

[@jacquelineblance4861]

Slut shaming!😂 Irina's last name!😂 Too funny Lmao. 😂😂😂

[@jacquelineblance4861]

baritonebynight Nobody said she did...

[@usaskjock]

@@douglasvarley3633 her 2002 olympic SP was amazing - too had her Lp was awful

[@mariakelly5]

I always cry when I watch this. No matter what happened afterward, no one can ever take this away from Tanya. Ms. Harding, you are awesome.

[@alanpeterson6224]

This was her day. what a shame it all got screwed up. At least she can always click on KZbin and watch it. And how ironic one of the songs was, Send In The Clowns.

[@DanielBrown91]

Who else is here because of I, Tonya? Holy shit she was good.

[@janellekirkland3023]

It doesn't matter the scandal? She was one of the Greatest Skaters 😇😇😇😇😇😇😇😇

[@orangeorangeness2116]

I cant stop watching this performance.

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

Fer Rivera me too

[@ronnykmarshall]

This is so cool. Funny how these same talking heads turned against her. They all need to apologize to her. She was as much of a victim as Nancy.

[@vegasjill21]

Wow! This is the Tonya that I remember from so long ago! That's when I never missed an event on TV. She had a great skate here and she goes down in history!!!! Good for Tonya!! ♥

[@bassethound1]

What a thrill it was to be there that night! Thank you for posting!!

[@RonWylie-gk5lc]

Good for you Tonya, you suffered so much after this milestone in USA skating and had people judge you for so long, you can be proud of what you achieved here forever. No one could watch this without being happy for you I saw the movie a couple of nights ago and I just know it will help everyone to understand that it was a complicated thing he involved you in , something you could not do anything to stop. an abusive partner can ruin your life and everyone knows this, you were so trusting. I have read recently that you still care what people say about you, even today , well you need not worry Tonya, I think the film will explain it so much better and people WILL understand# You can hold your head high, This movie will give you back what he and others took from you all those years ago, and all your hard work and dedication will be seen by everyone. Bless you Tonya, it must have been so difficult for you, You will always run into hurtful people that simply wont even try to understand but they are not important now, you will now have so many more that WILL understand I promise. All our love from the UK Tonya x

[@mariakelly5]

What a lovely post. I hope that Tanya gets to read this someday.

[@baritonebynight]

Watching Tonya Harding in competition in 1991 is like watching a great bird of prey go in for the kill. Her concentration is laser focused and she is the most exciting skater....male or female....to watch. Her jumps at this time rivaled what good male skaters could do...and her triple axel had more power and height then many of theirs. There will be none like her. Most women 25 years later can't do what Tonya Harding did then. In a recent interview, she is training again and is doing double jumps at age 46 and is hoping to do triples once again. What an incredible talent. I hope she overcomes the years of abuse she suffered from her childhood and her husband to rise above all these years later.

[@lsrasr158]

baritonebynight - Tonya's best years by far were 1991. her crowning achievements were this skate and her 1991 skate america LP. Tonya was rated as the 2nd best technical skater in the world by Scott Hamilton, behind only Midori Ito. Scott stated this during Tonya's skate at the 1992 albertville olympics.

[@hdelgado72]

I love Tanya Harding, She was one of the best skaters of all time.

[@dogdays8829]

You can watch some figure scating world records, another amazing performances. But you will not find any like this one. It is a pure joy, SO much confidence and strenght. She did it.

[@7curucusis]

This made me cry a little...

[@dilbertdoe601]

Pussy

[@ariadneanglin2303]

Me 2

[@gisazurnieden9058]

Yes, when she gets her marks and is laughing and crying and gasping for breath at the same time, I Always get Tears in my eyes...

[@karenaudreytodd]

Tonya was THE BEST, period...

[@kristen9489]

I wish she never met Galooley. She had real talent.

[@mattg.812]

+Kris Ten You get your wish. She never met anyone named "Galooley".

[@shanitrahan9904]

Gillooy is an asshole!

[@Karamarika]

She had been with him for many years at that point. That shows she was able to succeed with him there. Can't blame everything on him. She was capable of putting in the work, just not consistently.

[@RandiBeeman]

It's sad to watch this performance, knowing what happened later. Oh well, no one can take this away from her.

[@joeprice2319]

You are so right! As her husband I will love her forever! Thanks for the kind comments.

[@TheHummingbirder]

I remember watching this. I was absolutely thrilled when she landed that triple axel. I loved Kristi and Nancy, too, but I couldn't help rooting for Tanya. If her nerves didn't get in the way, she was amazing on the ice. This entire ladies competition was one for the ages. So many fantastic skaters!

[@kali4good]

Whether or not she was apart of the horrible scandal all of this amazing, powerful talent was just thrown away. as talented as she is why would she need to worry about rivals??? Sad but this was an great performance

[@officeaddict33]

She worried about rivals for lots of reasons - one being she knew she was not the most artistic. Also, she worried that the USFSA and the politics of skating would make sure to choose the golden "perfect" girls for the World Teams and leave "rough & tumble" Tonya behind because her image was wrong - no matter how they skated. I never heard Tonya say a bad word about Kristi. Maybe she knew Kristi was very talented & good jumper whereas Nancy was not as good as Kristi and thus beatable.

[@Cmc995]

officeaddict33 I've heard Tonya say she was focused on herself, and if you see her reactions after a messy program, she seemed disappointed, but often kind of chill about it like 'I'll do better next time' she never seemed so determined to get somebody out of her way. Nancy however had rude looks all over her face, snotty and entitled..

[@Cmc995]

JusticeForTheSilenced I agree, when he finally got it through his head, she wanted a divorce, she was sick of his behavior, he thought he had to either help her win quickly, and/or just ruin her career, either way, he had to have realized it make her look bad

[@mr_coffee9917]

Miki who said to u that??

[@gisazurnieden9058]

To me it Looks like that Tonya was confident enough About her abilities at this Point in time (she was back in shape at the nationals 1994). She wanted to beat Nancy Kerrigan on the ice, not by unfair means and was sure she could do it. As to the People who are convinced that Tonya knew and planned everything: She wasn't the ringleader in the Kerrigan attack. She Maybe has not a TOTALLY clean slate (not going to the authorities at once when she learned who did it... but then Jeff Gillooly had intimidated her in a massive and violent way. She was afraid and at the same time emotionally dependent of him at the time), but she's NOT as guilty as many People want her to be. All the "hard" evidence against her is actually rather shaky. This article (yes, it's very Long, but it has to be to cover all Points)explains it nicely: mahonblog.com/b14jan26.htm

[@NoNo-lf3bm]

She should have had a long and dazzling career. It's just a damn shame.

[@chrisalan9]

So sad how things worked out for Tanya, but this was a great moment!

[@coccinelle80]

She chose the song « wild thing »!! Perfect for her! We love you Tonny!!!

[@gman2010ification]

The greatest performance for any American woman up to that time.

[@theparismaitae7052]

I think this is my favorite video ever.

[@natew5694]

Has anyone ever noticed that the triple-toe-triple-toe has never been mentioned or discussed? And it's the only time I EVER remember seeing her do it in any competition ever, because triple-triples were not as important back then, and her "edge" was the triple axel when she was fit and confident. AND she almost OVER-ROTATED the second triple-toe (I think). holy cow

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

Nate W she landed it tho,I see what your saying..

[@jondavwal13]

Triple triples were very important. But the triple toe triple toe was a ho-hum triple triple by this point. Yamaguchi was doing triple lutz triple toe, as was Ito. Ito landed the triple toe, triple toe in the early 80s when she was 12.

[@jamesdavidkmoss]

Jonathan Wallach but she could also t/loop t/loop in practice and there is video too I think?,also she could do q/loop..which would good to see around this time too.??.

[@buffyslays5260]

She did triple triple combinations in 88 nationals 90 us olympic festival,93 nhk(I was there.) and at practice.

[@nicolassanabria4386]

I literally thought the same thing when I rewatched this. Lol