Tonya Maxene Price (néeHarding; born November 12, 1970) is an American former figureskater, retired boxer and a reality television personality. Born inPortland, Oregon, Harding was raised primarily by her mother, whoenrolled her in ice skating lessons beginning at three years old.Harding spent much of her early life training, eventually droppingout of high school to devote her time to the sport. After climbingthe ranks in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships between 1986 and1989, Harding won the 1989 Skate America competition. She became the1991 and 1994 U.S. champion before being stripped of her 1994 title,and 1991 World silver medalist. In 1991, she became the firstAmerican woman and the second woman in history (after Midori Ito) tosuccessfully land a triple Axel in competition. Harding is a two-timeOlympian and a two-time Skate America Champion.

In January 1994, Harding becameembroiled in controversy when her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly,orchestrated an attack on her fellow U.S. skating rival NancyKerrigan. Both women then competed in the February 1994 WinterOlympics, where Kerrigan won the silver medal and Harding finishedeighth. On March 16, 1994, Harding accepted a plea bargain in whichshe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution. As a resultof her involvement in the aftermath of the assault on Kerrigan, theUnited States Figure Skating Association banned her for life on June30, 1994.

From 2003 to 2004, Harding competed asa professional boxer. Her life has been the subject of many books,films, documentaries, and academic studies. In 2014, two televisiondocumentaries were made about Harding's life and skating career(Nancy & Tonya and The Price of Gold), inspiring Steven Rogers towrite the film I, Tonya in 2017, in which Harding was portrayed byAustralian actress Margot Robbie. In 2018, she was a contestant onseason 26 of Dancing with the Stars, finishing in third place. In2019, she won season 16 of Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition.

Early life

Tonya Maxene Harding was born onNovember 12, 1970, in Portland, Oregon, to LaVona Golden (b. 1940)and Albert Harding (1933–2009). During Harding's youth, her fatherheld various odd jobs (managed apartments, drove a truck, and workedat a bait & tackle store), yet was often underemployed due topoor health. She was raised in East Portland and began skating at agethree, training with coach Diane Rawlinson. During her youth, Hardingalso hunted, drag raced and learned auto mechanics from her father.LaVona struggled to support the family while working as a waitressand hand-sewed her daughter's skating costumes to save money.Harding's parents divorced after 19 years of marriage in 1987, whenshe was 16 years old. She dropped out of Milwaukie High School duringher sophomore year to focus on skating, and earned a GeneralEducational Development (GED) Certificate in 1988.

Harding claimed she was frequentlyabused by her mother. She stated that by the time she was seven yearsold, physical and psychological abuse had become a regular part ofher life. LaVona admitted to one instance of hitting Harding at anice rink. In January 2018, Harding's childhood friend and filmmaker,Sandra Luckow, spoke in defense of Harding's mother because she feltthat the 2017 film I, Tonya stretched some truths about LaVona'scharacter. Luckow said that although Harding's mother could be"egregious" towards her daughter, LaVona funded andappreciated Harding's skating lessons and had "a huge amountof humanity".

In Harding's 2008 authorized biography,The Tonya Tapes (written by Lynda D. Prouse from recorded interviewswith Harding), she said she was the victim of acquaintance rape in1991 and that her half-brother, Chris Davison, molested her onseveral occasions when she was a child. In 1986, Harding called thepolice after Davison had been sexually harassing and terrorizing her.He was arrested and spent a short time in prison. Harding said herparents were in denial about Davison's behavior and told her not topress criminal charges against him. Davison was killed in an unsolvedvehicular hit-and-run accident in 1988. On May 3, 1994, during aninterview with Rolonda Watts, Harding said that Davison was the onlyperson in her life unworthy of forgiveness and "the onlyperson I've ever hated."

Skating career

Harding trained as a figure skaterthroughout her youth with coach Diane Rawlinson. In the mid-1980s,she began working her way up the competitive skating ladder. Sheplaced sixth at the 1986 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, fifth in1987 and 1988, and third in 1989. After competing in the February1989 Nationals Championship, Harding began training with DodyTeachman as her coach. She then won the October 1989 Skate Americacompetition, and was considered a strong contender at the February1990 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. However, she was experiencingthe flu and asthma and had a poor free skate. After the originalprogram, she dropped from second place and finished seventh overall.Harding's breakthrough year came in 1991 when, at the U.S.Championships, she completed her first triple Axel in competition onFebruary 16 – the first American woman to execute the jump. Shelanded seven triple jumps in the long program including the tripleAxel. She won the 1991 U.S. Ladies' Singles title with the event'sfirst 6.0 technical merit score since Janet Lynn's 1973 performanceat the U.S. Championships. She won the long program when seven of thenine judges gave her first place, and won the competition. She scoredeight 5.9s and one 6.0 for technical merit and six 5.9s, one 5.8 andtwo 5.7s for composition and style. At the March 1991 WorldChampionships, an international event, she again completed the tripleAxel. Harding would finish second behind Kristi Yamaguchi and infront of Nancy Kerrigan, marking the first time one country swept theladies medal podium at the World Figure Skating Championships.

At the September 1991 Skate Americacompetition, Harding recorded three more firsts:

The first ever woman to completea triple Axel in the short program

The first woman ever tosuccessfully execute two triple Axels in a single competition

The first ever to complete atriple Axel in combination (with the double toe loop)

Despite these record-breakingperformances, after 1991, Harding was never again able tosuccessfully complete the triple Axel in competition; her competitiveresults began to decline. She and Dody Teachman had briefly partedways in April 1991, but had reunited in June; Harding was stilltraining under Teachman for the upcoming 1992 season. She placedthird in the January 1992 U.S. Figure Skating Championships despitetwisting her ankle during practice, and finished fourth in theFebruary 1992 Winter Olympics. On March 1, 1992, Harding gaveTeachman a summary dismissal and returned to Diane Rawlinson to becoached by her. On March 29, Harding placed sixth in the 1992 WorldChampionships, although she had a better placement at the November1992 Skate Canada International event finishing fourth.

In January 1994, Harding won the U.S.Championships, but was later stripped of her title: the USFSAdisciplinary panel voted to vacate the title in June 1994, followingan investigation of the attack on Nancy Kerrigan. In February 1994,Harding was permitted to remain a member of the U.S. Olympic iceskating team, despite brief legal controversy. In Lillehammer, afteran issue with a broken skate lace in the long program, she was givena re-skate by the judges and finished in eighth place, behind OksanaBaiul (gold) and Nancy Kerrigan (silver). Despite her USFSA ban,however, she did later compete at the professional level, placingsecond at the ESPN Pro Skating Championship in 1999.

In June 1994, Claire Ferguson, thePresident of the USFSA, voted to strip Harding of her 1994 title.However, the competition results were not changed and the title wasleft vacant rather than moving all the other competitors up oneposition.

Assault of Nancy Kerrigan and legalproceedings

On January 6, 1994, one day before theU.S. Figure Skating Championship first Ladies' Singles competition,Nancy Kerrigan was attacked in a corridor after a practice session atthe Detroit Cobo Arena. The aftermath of the attack was recorded on anews camera and broadcast around the world. The assailant was ShaneStant, contracted to break her right knee; he turned himself in tothe FBI in Phoenix on January 14. Stant and his uncle, Derrick Smith,were hired for this assault by Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly,and her bodyguard Shawn Eckardt. After failing to find Kerrigan inMassachusetts, Stant had taken a 20-hour bus trip to Detroit. NancyKerrigan was walking behind a curtain when Stant rushed behind her.Using both hands, he swung a 21-inch (53 cm) ASP telescopic baton ather right leg, striking above her knee. The attack was intended toseriously injure Kerrigan so that she could not compete in theNationals (Kerrigan was the defending 1993 Champion) nor the WinterOlympics. Kerrigan's leg was not broken but severely bruised, forcingher to withdraw from the Championships and forgo competing to retainthe U.S. Ladies' title. On January 8, Harding won the U.S. title; sheand Kerrigan were then both selected for the 1994 Olympic team.

On January 11, Harding was interviewedfor KOIN-TV in Portland, Oregon. Harding was asked whether someoneshe knew could have planned the attack. Harding replied, "Ihave definitely thought about it." Gillooly stood in herview behind the camera during the interview. The interview ended withHarding saying, "No one controls my life but me...if there'ssomething in there that I don't like, I'm going to change it."Harding also confirmed she had spoken with FBI agents in Detroit andagain in Portland. On January 13, Eckardt and Smith were arrested. OnJanuary 14, the United States Figure Skating Association (USFSA) madea statement on whether Eckardt's arrest affected Harding's Olympicplacement: "We will deal only with the facts."Harding and Gillooly's separate lawyers confirmed the couple were indaily contact and cooperation with law enforcement. On January 15,Harding and Gillooly spoke with reporters, but declined to commentabout the investigation. On January 16, Harding's lawyer held a pressconference in which he read a statement denying Harding's involvementin the attack on Kerrigan. Harding left her home that evening topractice with her coaches, where she spoke with reporters andperformed a triple Axel.

Harding's confession

On January 18, 1994, Harding was withher lawyers when she submitted to questioning by the DA and FBI. Shewas interviewed for over ten hours. Eight hours into the interview,her lawyer read a statement declaring her separation from Gillooly:"I continue to believe that Jeff is innocent of anywrongdoing. I wish him nothing but the best". Her full FBItranscript was released on February 1. The Seattle Times reported onthe transcript, stating that Harding had "changed her storywell into a long interview...After hours of denying any involvementin trying to cover up the plot, an FBI agent finally told [her] thathe knew she had lied to him, that he would tell her exactly how shehad lied to him." In the transcript's final passage, Hardingstated "I hope everyone understands. I'm telling on someone Ireally care about. I know now [Jeff] is involved. I'm sorry."On January 19, Gillooly surrendered to the FBI. On January 20, DianeSawyer asked Harding on Primetime about the case. Harding said shehad done nothing wrong. On January 27, it was reported Gillooly hadbeen testifying about the attack plot since January 26; possiblyimplicating Harding as allegedly assisting. Harding's close friendStephanie Quintero, with whom she was living, spoke to reporters onher behalf: "[Tonya] was shocked, very hurt. She wasbelieving in [Jeff]." Harding later held a press conferenceto read a prepared statement. She said she was sorry Kerrigan wasattacked, that she respected Kerrigan, and claimed not to know inadvance of the plot to disable her. Harding took responsibility "forfailing to report things [about the assault] when I returned homefrom Nationals [on January 10]. Failure to immediately report thisinformation is not a crime." Many states' laws, includingOregon's, state that the act of concealing criminal knowledge aloneis not a crime.

The attack on Kerrigan received asubstantial amount of publicity, and news media crews camped outsideHarding's home. In January 1994, the story was on the covers ofSports Illustrated, Newsweek, and TIME. There was now muchspeculation about Harding's alleged involvement in the assault plot.Because Harding and Kerrigan would be representing the US in theFebruary Lillehammer Olympics, speculation reached a media frenzy.Abby Haight and J.E. Vader, reporters for The Oregonian, wrote abiography of Harding called Fire on Ice, which included excerpts ofher January 18th FBI interview.

Men's guilty pleas and sentencing

On February 1, Gillooly's attorneynegotiated a plea bargain in exchange for testimony regarding allinvolved parties in the attack. In July, he was sentenced to twoyears in prison and publicly apologized to Kerrigan – adding "anyapology coming from me rings hollow." Gillooly and Eckardtpleaded guilty to racketeering; Stant and Smith (who drove thegetaway car and funneled money) pleaded guilty to conspiracy tocommit second-degree assault. Judge Donald Londer noted the attackcould have injured Kerrigan more seriously. Eckardt died in 2007.

USFSA disciplinary panel

On February 5, the USFSA disciplinarypanel stated there were reasonable grounds to believe Harding hadviolated the sport's code of ethics. Her admitted failure to reportabout an assault on a fellow competitor, supported by her FBItranscripts, led to Harding being formally charged with "[making]false statements about her knowledge". The USFSA recommendedthat she face a disciplinary hearing. Claire Ferguson, president ofthe USFSA, decided not to suspend Harding's membership before ahearing took place. If she had been suspended, she likely still wouldhave competed at the Olympics after filing suit, seeking aninjunction against the USFSA, and asserting her rights under theAmateur Sports Act of 1978. The panel examined evidence including thetestimonies of Stant and Smith, Harding and Gillooly's telephonerecords, and notes found in a Portland saloon trash bin on January30. Harding was given 30 days to respond.

Harding and Connie Chung travel toNorway

News media began attending Harding'sPortland practices, also filming her on February 7, running barefootto stop a tow truck from hauling her illegally parked vehicle. OnFebruary 10, Connie Chung interviewed Harding. When asked aboutGillooly, Harding said: "I never did anything to hurt [Jeff].If I ever did anything, it was to stick up for him and protect him."Chung also negotiated to fly on the same airplane with Harding toOslo, leaving on February 15. Chung admitted she would not havetraveled to Norway were it not for the scandal.

Kerrigan and Harding share ice,Harding's eighth-place finish

On February 17, 1994, Harding andKerrigan shared the ice at a practice session in the Hamar OlympicAmphitheatre. Approximately 400 members of the press were there todocument the practice. Scott Hamilton thought the sport was depictedas a "tabloid event". It was noted that NancyKerrigan chose to wear the same skating costume at the practicesession that she was wearing when Stant attacked her. Kerrigan laterconfirmed that her choice of dress that day was deliberate: "Humoris good, it's empowering." The tape-delayed broadcast of theFebruary 23 Ladies' Olympic technical program is one of the mostwatched telecasts in the US. On February 25, Harding finished eighthin the Olympics; Nancy Kerrigan, having recovered from her injury,won the Olympic silver behind gold medalist Oksana Baiul fromUkraine.

Guilty plea, admissions

On March 9, Judge Owen Panner grantedHarding a requested stay until June on her disciplinary hearing.Meanwhile, Portland authorities stated the criminal investigationwould conclude by March 21 with any indictments and a grand juryreport to be made at that time.

On March 16, 1994, Harding pleadedguilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution as a Class C felonyoffense at a Multnomah County court hearing. She and her lawyer,Robert Weaver, negotiated a plea bargain ensuring no furtherprosecution. Judge Donald Londer conducted routine questioning tomake certain Harding understood her agreement, that she was enteringher plea "knowingly and voluntarily". Harding toldLonder she was. Her plea admissions were knowing of the assault plotafter the fact, settling on a cover story with Gillooly and Eckardton January 10, witnessing pay phone calls to Smith affirming thestory on January 10 and 11, and lying to FBI with the story onJanuary 18. Law enforcement investigators had been following andvideotaping the co-conspirators since January 10; they knew about thepay phone calls. Her penalties included three years of probation, a$100,000 fine, and 500 hours community service. She agreed toreimburse Multnomah County $10,000 in legal expenses, undergo apsychiatric examination, and volunteered to give $50,000 to theSpecial Olympics Oregon (SOOR) charity. Oregon sentencing guidelinescarried a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Harding's plea conditions imposed herU.S. Figure Skating Association resignation, necessitating herwithdrawal from the 1994 Worlds (for which she was scheduled to leaveon March 17). District attorney Norman Frink said if Harding had notagreed to the plea, she would have faced "an indictment onall possible charges...punishment was taking away [skating]privilege."

Response from defense and USFSA

Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, donated$25,000 toward Harding's legal fees. She had also made approximately$600,000 from an Inside Edition deal.

Weaver said the plea agreement wassatisfactory to Harding, partly because she avoided prison: "wewould have prevailed at trial." An executive of the USFSAcommented "[We] don't know if Tonya is innocent orguilty...if [she was involved before] the national championship."On March 18, Claire Ferguson decided Harding's disciplinary hearingwould proceed in June. The USFSA's executive committee met to discussHarding seeking reinstatement and whether they might strip her of the1994 National Championship title. Neither issue was decided at thattime.

Grand jury indictment

On March 21, 1994, a Portland grandjury issued an indictment stating there was evidence Hardingparticipated in the attack plot. The indictment concluded more thantwo months of investigation and witness testimonies from DianeRawlinson; Harding's choreographer Erika Bakacs; freelance figureskating writer Vera Marano; and Eckardt's college instructor andclassmates. It stated there was evidence Harding fraudulently usedUSFSA-provided skating monies to finance the assault. It also readthat Harding, Gillooly, Eckardt, Smith, and Stant agreed to"knowingly cause physical injury ... by means of a dangerousweapon." The grand jury said the