Nancy Kerrigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Kerrigan
Kerrigan in 1995
Personal information
Full name	Nancy Ann Kerrigan
Country represented	United States
Born	(1969-10-13) October 13, 1969 (age 55) Stoneham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	5 ft 4 in
Former coach	Evy Scotvold Mary Scotvold Jr.
Retired	1994
Medal record Representing the  United States Ladies' figure skating Olympic Games Silver 1994 Lillehammer Ladies' singles Bronze 1992 Albertville Ladies' singles World Championships Silver 1992 Oakland Ladies' singles Bronze 1991 Munich Ladies' singles U.S. Championships Gold 1993 Arizona Women's singles Silver 1992 Florida Women's singles Bronze 1991 Minnesota Women's singles Winter Universiade Bronze 1989 Sofia Ladies' singles

Nancy Ann Kerrigan (born October 13, 1969) is an American former figure skater. She won many medals during her career. These include bronze medals at the 1991 World Championships and the 1992 Winter Olympics. She also earned silver medals at the 1992 World Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics. In 1993, she became the US National Figure Skating Champion.

In 2004, Nancy Kerrigan was honored by being added to the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame. On January 6, 1994, Nancy was attacked and injured on her knee. The person who attacked her was hired by the ex-husband of another skater, Tonya Harding. Nancy recovered quickly from her injury. Both Nancy and Tonya competed in the 1994 Winter Olympics. After the Olympics, Tonya Harding was not allowed to compete in figure skating anymore. At the Olympics, Nancy won a silver medal. She then started performing in ice shows like Champions on Ice and Broadway on Ice. In 2017, she was a contestant on the TV show Dancing with the Stars.

Nancy Kerrigan's Early Life

Nancy Kerrigan was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts, on October 13, 1969. She was the youngest child and only daughter of Daniel and Brenda Kerrigan. Her father worked hard, sometimes at three jobs, to help pay for her skating lessons. He even drove the Zamboni at the local ice rink to help with costs.

Nancy started figure skating when she was six years old. She began taking private lessons at age eight. By age nine, she won her first competition, the Boston Open. She was coached by Theresa Martin until she was 16. After that, she trained with Evy and Mary Scotvold for the rest of her competitive career.

Nancy Kerrigan's Skating Career

Nancy Kerrigan started to become well-known in national competitions. In 1987, she placed fourth at the junior level of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She was known for her strong jumps.

She moved up the national rankings each year. She placed 12th in 1988, fifth in 1989, and fourth in 1990. In 1989, she also won a bronze medal at the 1989 Winter Universiade.

Winning Medals and Championships

Nancy's success continued in 1991. She placed third at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. This allowed her to compete in the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, where she won a bronze medal. This was a special event because her teammates, Kristi Yamaguchi and Tonya Harding, won gold and silver. This was the first time one country won all three medals in women's figure skating at the World Championships.

In 1992, Nancy improved her national ranking again, finishing second. She won a bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics. Later that year, she earned a silver medal at the 1992 World Championships.

The next season, Nancy became the United States champion. Even though her performance had some mistakes, she won the title. She knew she needed to improve for the World Championships. At the World Championships in Prague, she won the short program. However, her free skate was not as good, and she finished fifth overall.

Before and after the 1992 Olympics, Nancy had many sponsorship deals. Companies like Campbell's Soup, Evian, Reebok, and Seiko supported her. She also had chances to perform professionally. To prepare for the 1994 Winter Olympics, she focused more on her training. She also worked with a sports psychologist to help with her nerves during competitions.

The 1994 Attack on Nancy

On January 6, 1994, Nancy Kerrigan was at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. After a practice session, she was attacked in a hallway. An assailant hit her right lower thigh with a police baton. The attacker was later identified as Shane Stant. This attack was planned by Tonya Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and another person, Shawn Eckardt. Their goal was to stop Nancy from competing in the National Championships and the 1994 Winter Olympics.

The moments right after the attack were filmed and shown around the world. The video showed Nancy holding her knee and crying, "Why, why, why?" Her father carried her away. Even though Nancy was hurt and had to withdraw from the U.S. Championships, other skaters agreed she deserved a spot on the Olympic team. The USFSA chose her for the team.

Nancy recovered quickly from her injury. She trained very hard to be ready for the Olympics. Because of the attack, she became even more famous. She signed many endorsement deals before the Olympics began.

Tonya Harding denied being involved in the attack at first. However, she later admitted to helping to cover up the crime. The attack was shown in the 2017 movie, I, Tonya.

Nancy at the 1994 Winter Olympics

Kerrigan on an Azerbaijani postage stamp, dedicated to the 1994 Winter Olympics

The ladies' single skating event at the 1994 Winter Olympics happened seven weeks after the attack. Nancy skated what she felt were her best performances ever. She won the silver medal, finishing second to Oksana Baiul. Chen Lu won the bronze, and Tonya Harding finished eighth.

Nancy was in first place after the short program. However, she lost the gold medal to Oksana Baiul in the free skate. It was a very close decision by the judges.

After the competition, Nancy seemed unhappy with her second-place finish. While waiting for the medal ceremony, someone told Nancy that the delay was because Baiul was fixing her makeup. Nancy was heard saying, "Oh, come on. So she's going to get out here and cry again. What's the difference?" This comment was shown on TV. This changed how the media showed Nancy, who had been seen as a victim before.

Nancy decided not to go to the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Her agent said it was because of security advice. However, she left early to attend a planned publicity parade at Walt Disney World for her sponsor.

The Walt Disney World Parade

After the 1994 Winter Olympics, Nancy Kerrigan took part in a parade at Walt Disney World. She was heard on a microphone saying, "This is dumb. I hate it. This is the corniest thing I have ever done." She later explained that her comment was taken out of context. She said she was not talking about the parade itself. She was upset that her agent insisted she wear her silver medal in the parade. Nancy said her parents taught her not to show off her achievements. She added that she had nothing against Disney or Mickey Mouse.

Some of Nancy's endorsement and TV deals were canceled after the Olympics. This was possibly due to the negative media attention.

Nancy Kerrigan's Skating Results

Skating Honors and Outfits

Nancy Kerrigan was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2004. She was also honored by the Ice Theatre of New York in 2008.

Her Olympic skating outfits were designed by famous fashion designer Vera Wang. These designs helped start a new trend in figure skating fashion. Nancy's 1992 free-skating costume looked like a wedding dress. Her 1994 Olympic dresses were also designed by Wang. One was white with black velvet and another was champagne-colored with 11,500 rhinestones.

Nancy Kerrigan's Life After the Olympics

After the Olympics, Nancy Kerrigan became a professional skater. She performed in many ice shows, like Champions on Ice and Broadway on Ice.

In 2003, Nancy became a national spokeswoman for Fight for Sight, an organization that helps people with vision problems.

TV, Movies, and Video Games

Nancy Kerrigan has appeared in various TV shows and movies. In 1994, she hosted Saturday Night Live. She also had a guest appearance on Boy Meets World in 1995.

A character in the 1994 video game Tattoo Assassins was based on Nancy. This character, Karla Keller, was a figure skater who was attacked by a rival.

Kerrigan during an interview in 2006

Nancy appeared in the TV show Skating with Celebrities in 2006. She also had a small role in the movie Blades of Glory (2007) with Will Ferrell. She hosted Nancy Kerrigan's World of Skating and has worked as a commentator for skating broadcasts.

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Nancy was a special reporter for Entertainment Tonight. She also wrote a book about figure skating called Artistry on Ice.

In 2014, ESPN aired The Price of Gold, a documentary about the 1994 attack. Another documentary, Nancy & Tonya, aired on NBC in 2014.

In 2017, she appeared on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. In December 2017, a movie called I, Tonya was released, which was about Tonya Harding and the attack on Nancy.

In 2018, Nancy became a Super Bowl reporter for Inside Edition. She also appeared as herself in an episode of Fresh Off the Boat. In 2021, she voiced a character in the animated movie Eggs.

Dancing with the Stars

Nancy Kerrigan was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2017. Her dance partner was Artem Chigvintsev. They were eliminated in the seventh week of the competition.

Nancy Kerrigan's Personal Life

Nancy Kerrigan graduated from Stoneham High School. She then attended Emmanuel College in Boston to study business.

Her mother, Brenda, is legally blind. This inspired Nancy to create the Nancy Kerrigan Foundation. This foundation helps raise awareness and support for people who are visually impaired.

Nancy married her agent, Jerry Solomon, on September 9, 1995. They have three children: Matthew (born 1996), Brian (born 2005), and Nicole (born 2008). Jerry also has a son from a previous marriage. Nancy has shared that she faced challenges having children.

Images for kids

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  Kerrigan during an interview in 2006

See Also

In Spanish: Nancy Kerrigan para niños