Since the advent of spectator sports, athletes have always looked for an edge. Most stick to the legal and morally correct paths to victory such as hard work and exercise. Others choose the murkier, darker paths to gain a dishonest advantage. Bike racing had its steroid issues; football featured “Deflategate;” golf fans were shocked by the Vijay Singh’s altered scorecard and Little League Baseball had a 14-year-old caught posing as an 11-year-old in the World Series.

In 1994 the world learned that even figure skating, long thought of as a graceful discipline above such shortcuts, was not immune to the temptations that afflict every other sport. Tonya Harding, one of USA Figure Skating’s premier stars, conspired with a group of inept hoods to physically maim her main rival, Nancy Kerrigan, so that she would have a clear path to the 1994 Olympics. It was a sad incident that forever tarnished the once brilliant career of a two-time Olympian. Before the controversy, Tonya Harding was the kind of rags to riches feel good figure American’s love to root for. Growing up in poverty, Harding wore homespun costumes as she steadily climbed the ranks of figure skating. In 1991 she became the first American woman to successfully land a triple axel in competition, only the second to ever do so in the whole history of the sport. She followed this up by becoming the first woman to land two triple axels in a single competition. Tonya Harding had reached the precipice of Figure Skating fame.

Then, her talent on the ice began to slip away. She placed 3rd at the 1992 Nationals after finishing 1st the year before, then failed to medal at the 1992 Winter Games and finished in sixth place at the World Championships in Oakland, CA a month after the Olympics. Still, Tonya Harding remained ranked as one of the best in the US team’s stable. However, the pressure to remain at the top pushed her to participate in the events that led to the horrific pipe-attack on her teammate and rival, Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 U.S. figure skating championships in Detroit. The rest is history, most recently re-told on the big screen in the Oscar nominated film, “I, Tonya.”

Tonya Harding wore this black sequin-trimmed skating outfit before the scandals, when she was the first American woman to land a triple axel in completion. As this was most likely custom made for Harding, there is no manufacturer’s label present inside the one-piece garment. All of the gold metal details appear to be present and most of the sequins are still affixed, with the exception of a few along the seams, which may have been removed by Harding to create a more comfortable fit. The outfit shows medium wear: Harding’s LOA attests to it being worn in both the 1992 Nationals and 1992 Olympic Games as well as the wildly successful 1992 Tour of Olympic & World Champions. A true piece of both pop culture and sports history. The outfit comes with a signed LOA from Tonya Harding attesting to her wearing it at the 1992 Nationals, 1992 Olympic Games and 1992 Tour of Olympic & World Champions and a COA from JSA (U32179) for the signature on the Harding LOA. Please note that Harding mistakenly said she wore this outfit at the US Nationals. This outfit was instead worn at the World Championships held in the US a month following the Albertville Olympics.

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