1994 Cobo Arena attack

At around 2:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 6, 1994, American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was hit on the lower right thigh with a baton at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. She had just finished practising on an ice rink in the arena. Shane Stant did the attack with his uncle Derrick Smith. Smith was the getaway driver. They were both paid by Jeff Gillooly and Shawn Eckardt to injure Kerrigan so that she could not take part in the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating championships and 1994 Winter Olympics. Jeff Gillooly was the ex-husband of Nancy Kerrigan's rival in figure skating at the time, Tonya Harding.^[1] Some people think Harding was also involved in the attack. Gillooly and Eckdardt both said that Tonya Harding knew about the attack, but Harding said that she didn't know about it.^[2][3]

1994 Cobo Arena attack
Cobo Arena, the site of the attack, pictured here in 2007
Location	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Date	January 6, 1994; 30 years ago (1994-01-06) ~2:35 PM (EST (UTC−05:00))
Target	Nancy Kerrigan
Attack type	Bludgeoning
Weapon	ASP telescopic baton
Injured	Nancy Kerrigan
Perpetrators	Jeff Gillooly Shawn Eckardt Derrick Smith Tonya Harding (disputed)
Assailant	Shane Stant

Kerrigan could not take part in the rest of the U.S. Championships because of the attack. She healed in time to take part in the Winter Olympics and got a silver medal. Harding took part in both the U.S. Championships and the Winter Olympics. Tonya Harding was banned for life from USFSA figure skating events. Harding had won the U.S. Championships, but had this taken away from her afterwards.^[4]

Background

Nancy Kerrigan was an American figure skater. In January 1994, she was about to take part in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Her main rival in that tournament was Tonya Harding. The attack happened a few days before the tournament. It caused to Kerrigan to not be able to take part.^[5] The Winter Olympics were also going to take place in February. Kerrigan and Harding were the two female figure skaters from the United States in the Olympics. The attack helped Harding as it made it easier for her to win the U.S. Championships. It also could have helped her if it had stopped Kerrigan from taking part in the Olympics.^[6]

References

1. "Jeff Gillooly". geni_family_tree. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
2. Hamilton, William (Jan 15, 1994). "Three Held in Assault on Kerrigan". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
3. Janofsky, Micheal (Jan 15, 1994). "Third Suspect Arrested by F.B.I. In the Attack on Olympic Skater". New York Times. Archived from the original on March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
4. Brennan, Christine (July 1, 1994). "Harding Stripped of Title; Banned for Life". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
5. Brennan, Christine (January 8, 1994). "Injured Kerrigan Withdraws From Olympic Trials". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
6. Swift, E. M. (February 14, 1994). "Anatomy of a Plot". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2018.