A year before, Holly Cook stunned by winning a bronze in her first year at Worlds. Here Tonya takes second, and Nancy Kerrigan third in their first appearances, sweeping the podium with Kristi Yamaguchi!
To my mind, she is still the only American lady to land a triple axel in competition. The axel is the KING of Jumps, and should include great height and distance, as Tonya's do. When you jump up in the air, turn 3 and half turns, and still land in the same spot you jumped from, I am not sure what jump you are doing, but it is not an axel. And how much cheat, can you allow on a landing?
Tonya's ban from skating, and denial of a living in the sport far exceeded the authority of a governing sports body. Had she actually committed the assault in question, she would only have been given 8 months in jail and community service! The USFSA and the entire skating industry is still counting the money they made off Tonya and Nancy. To continue to deny her true place in the sport is both hypocritical and self-righteous.
Tags: figure skating 1991 Worlds Ladies Tonya Harding SP Nancy Kerrigan Kristi Yamaguchi Holly Cook