Tonya Harding - 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival, Figure Skating, Ladies' Free Skate

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA - 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival, Figure Skating, Ladies' Free Skate - First, an interview with Tonya Harding, followed by her Free Skate where she had 3 falls, including one on an attempt at the triple Axel. Because of her technical ability, she would still manage to win the Silver Medal here.

[@jilljones7087]

she’s still my favorite skater to watch. her routines were always more interesting than the other girls.

[@IndigoBellyDance]

She was doing some Amazing athletic/artistic work on the ice. She was/is a Amazing skater to watch.

[@markhayes2003]

No matter how many times I watch this, I love the commentator's reaction to her Lutz.

[@jja8750]

Me, too! It brings tears to my eyes every single time -- the joy he expresses in seeing the height and landing.

[@searanch32]

The commentator nearly died of a heart attack when she did that massive triple Lutz! Bahaha! The triple axel in the fluff piece was fantastic, and probably the only time I ever saw her do it from a different and more difficult entry.

[@officeaddict33]

I love John Misha's reaction to the opening triple lutz. Wow.

[@46foryounger]

I saw that footage of her at fifteen and she was artistic as hell. I think it was wrong of her coaches to solely focus on her jumps as her forte. She was in fact a complete skater. Coaches tend to do that single out an artist because they excel in areas where others don’t but the truth is she could do it all.

[@josephjackson-vl7mz]

I recently saw a video posting of Tonya competing at age 14. She was extremely artistic. In that competition, Tonya reminded me of the great Janet Lynn! I wish that she had continued the great artistry in addition to her wonderful technical jumping ability. Tonya could have been the greatest female skater of all time. Of course, she had to take her training at public malls while others competitors had private ice time.

[@josephjackson-vl7mz]

Tonya was much more than her triple axel. You cannot win competitions with one jump.

[@valmacclinchy]

@@josephjackson-vl7mz Yes, she was extremely artistic. One of my favorite performances of hers was the Olympic Exhibition in Albertville 1992, when she skated to Moon River. She held that Ina Bauer at the end halfway around the rink! Her spins were always beautiful and fast, too.

[@valmacclinchy]

@@josephjackson-vl7mz exactly 💯

[@stefrevollo]

Always loved her triple lutz, that one is among her highest ones. It is very rare to see her fall three times, esp. on the flip and salchow!

[@b0rtie]

Man, I really wished she hadn’t been banned, and the Nancy Kerrigan incident hadn’t happened. Imagine if she was allowed to coach skaters. I’m sure she could give them some good pointers for spins and jumps. I honestly she had a natural style and joy to her skating. If only...

[@theshillneckedlizard8364]

I agree. It was way too harsh to ban her from ever having anything to do with skating again. She had no education and skating was all she knew - they took away the only way she had to make any sort of living. But what really sticks in my craw is the way she was stripped of the medals she had won PRIOR to the attack. She won those fair and square. Taking them from her smacks of petty revenge, not justice.

[@pinksparkles-kz8jj]

She actually mentions in her biography, The Tonya Tapes, that she was able to coach after the ban but she couldn’t go with her students to events by the USFSA so she was restricted a lot :/ But I agree! She had so much potential!

[@Person-mh6xq]

@@theshillneckedlizard8364 not true. She was stripped of her National title WHEN the incident occurred. No other title was taken away from her.

[@robinschwartz6977]

It all comes down to one very poor decision. She made it. Nancy didn’t. That decision is the only one that matters where the repercussions are concerned. Yes, others may or may not have attitudes, but those attitudes were not the poor decision made by Tonya.

[@viviennepopek]

Beautiful and outstanding even with three falls! I love to watch her skating, the jumps and especially the spins, absolutely wonderful 😊

[@minervadavis744]

If Tonya had been a skater today she would have been phenomenal. Today’s skating is more about jumps then artistry. She had so much power and height behind her jumps.

[@danstafford5977]

Tonya Harding is the most dazzling ice skater of all time!

[@douglasstewart558]

She's fearless, gracious, and well beyond the fleet. Every time she performs, the others disappear....

[@kelsey1406]

Imagine if Dody Teachman and Diane Rawlinson team coached her. She would have been unstoppable.

[@vronica84]

I love this program.

[@raymondgomez7587]

You can tell that Misha Petkavich the commentator was a huge fan of Tonya's.

[@46foryounger]

She’s a Whitney Houston case extraordinary talent with massive self destructive demons. It’s too hard to watch.

[@gisazurnieden9058]

If she was self-destructive and sometimes even self-harming it is no wonder considering the Trauma she suffered by her mother and Jeff Gillooly. Traumatic experiences (Maybe even complex post traumatic stress disorder. Just my GUESS here. Of Course I can't diagnose her because I'm no psychiatrist and don't know Tonya Harding in Person, but I also was abused and had similar Problems and I recognize many signs.) sometimes make you act irrational and even self-destructive. This is not About excuses for everything bad that happened in Tonya's Life but About explanations.

[@extra_ice_girl]

Those who experience a lot of mental and physical trauma tend to be self destructive. I am a product of it.

[@marykelly1723]

Sometimes I watch Tonya skate and all I can think about is what she's going back to when she's off the ice. 😞

[@tomkroh2712]

That triple flip fall was hard to watch. 🥺 Such an iconic freeskate.

[@calphurnia2007]

She gets some good height on those jumps, great spins and great Ina Bauer as well.

[@stefrevollo]

Great triple axel at 2:14

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

Great isn't the word. It was best in class.

[@quiddy]

It still kind of tilts off axis like a speedometer. Your forward or straight lean should be maintained throughout the jump like Midori Ito

[@davidsalvador532]

She fell though lol

[@gisazurnieden9058]

@@davidsalvador532 Not on the one she did while practicing...

[@dashoverton1963]

@@quiddy Yes, Ito’s triple Axel was more straight up and more beautifully executed.

[@Laffingrl]

Swing that ponytail Tonya! Love it!

[@danstafford5977]

I love Tonya Harding... the top Ninja Warriors can't always make it up the Warped wall!

[@davidsalvador532]

I like Tonya Harding and thought she was a great skater but she fell 3 TIMES and got 5.7s and even a 5.8.. it's amazing how far the scoring has come since then.. she did like 3 good triples

[@waynemcdonald4448]

It was her determination & quickness getting back into rhythm that they admired. She did not waste time sitting on the floor or brushing herself off like the prissy girls do.

[@buffyslays5260]

3:57 that triple toe triple toe. Amazing.

[@Cmc995]

After the triple axel, I would actually say her skating went downhill. Less of a full skater even though the goal going into the 90’s was for her to be more complete. It became all about the 3A, all her effort it seems. And when she couldn’t land it, It obviously affected her negatively while skating

[@LauRa-re9un]

She got married so young.

[@extra_ice_girl]

To get out of her mother's house.

[@gisazurnieden9058]

@@extra_ice_girl Yes, but unfortunately she got out of the frying pan into the fire :(

[@Cmc995]

Yes, big mistake

[@HattieLovesCattie]

It was a great program!!!!!I wonder if she is still working with skaters?I got to meet Dodie Teachman at Sun Valley in 1992 and she was so nice.She introduced me to her two young sons.She later had a daughter and stopped coaching Tonya.

[@samh.6886]

Never noticed that the Olympic Festival was also held in Minneapolis... the same place where the nationals would be later that season!

[@patwhit8414]

Still the best!

[@lars1296]

😢 Met Center, brings me back to my childhood

[@lellius]

Tonya is plenty artistic, it's just that she skates more like a rock star than a ballerina.

[@lorispausini3995]

Great Tonya harding. Superba. I italian

[@shanitrahan9904]

Seeing her fall 3 times was terrible what happened?

[@danstafford5977]

Tonya Harding is competing against herself, the judges want her to beat her previous scorecard!

[@stefrevollo]

It is the one and only time she fell on a triple flip in competition, right? I have never seen that happen before.

[@gisazurnieden9058]

I think it is. And, although she can obviously take a lot, that fall after the triple flip MUST have hurt... it looked like that.

[@Cmc995]

Attempted it at 92 worlds I believe and fell

[@stefrevollo]

@@Cmc995 nope, she ditched the flip at the end of her worst FP ever in which she only landed two triple salchows, only one counting.

[@yoksharamontoya5752]

no entiendo porq atacaron tanto a esta chica en competiciones diciendo q no tenia gracia o que no era buena patinadora, viendola comparada con otras chicas ella era superior en muchos aspectos. y muy hermosa, un cuerpazo de hecho que hoy a su edad mantiene...

[@waynemcdonald4448]

I loved her skating and her style. I noticed that every time this announcer is yammering she falls. It is like his voice gets in her head. She is beautiful the music is nice. I wish he would shut up until it is over.

[@svenskanorsk]

Aww the old Met Center. Fond memories of that place from my youth

[@madogspinetto1456]

Thanks for tath greath Channel and vídeos 🙋

[@trytobenice7234]

Before the storm

[@wildbrad]

It's always been a shame she never got the credit with Jennifer Flowers for giving her the strongest performances of her career...

[@marina_8036]

0:37 .. and 4 years later.. oh my god😔

[@freddyc8098]

If the US had named her to the 1990 world team she could have won Worlds that year

[@waynehentley4332]

No way!! Her compulsory figures were weak!!

[@HattieLovesCattie]

I've seen this rink and met Dodie and her 2 sons at Sun Valley in Sept of 1991.Its too bad they didn't part on good terms.

[@white-vq9kb]

98 pounds. Omg I didn't realize how small she was.

[@jja8750]

What were the final results her? Kerrigan, Yamaguchi, Trenary, Tonya? Bobek was 7th?

[@3Axel1996]

Yamaguchi and Trenary weren't here. US Olympic Festival was generally for up-and-coming skaters in the Senior ranks. Kerrigan won here.

[@user-il5oq5df6l]

In view of the monster she later became, I wish Kehrigen hadn't won.

[@HattieLovesCattie]

I agree with you!!

[@coreyadkins8775]

Great program but her mind wasn't there.

[@LauRa-re9un]

Is this the olympics? or what is this?

[@ivanlavouras]

Lau Ra is a special competition about good US skaters

[@LauRa-re9un]

thank you!

[@3Axel1996]

It used to be the first major competition of the season for US skaters who are up and coming in the Junior and Senior ranks. I think they stopped this competition by the late 1990s.

[@LauRa-re9un]

thank you 3Axel1996.

[@user-il5oq5df6l]

It's the Olympic Festival.

[@haunguyen2001]

Nice bass!!!

[@metsedudenj]

Being on good terms with Tonya is pretty difficult

[@stevenwells5670]

Still think she could slam dunk a basketball.

[@kokopelli2012]

she looks so out of place in that girly outfit. she has so much athletic ability considering she's built like a Mac Truck

[@kamwrites]

+Erik Charles It's no more girly than her hair. Good lord, let her be a female. She looked great.

[@perlante123]

I think she looks beautiful

[@vadams-vw4pz]

Built like a Mac truck s NOT an insult! It's an old expression it's strength and endurance.Shes fit and in shape.

[@perlante123]

v. adams agreed! I said that because they claimed she “looked out of place in that girly outfit” I think she looked really pretty!

[@JessG_20]

Erik Charles yeah I prefer the black leggings for someone with a body like hers