Oksana Baiul Won a Gold Medal On This Date in 1994

Today is a huge anniversary in figure skating history. February 25th, 1994 was the date for the Ladies' Singles Figure Skating Finals at the 1994 Winter Olympics. It was one of the most anticipated Winter Olympic moments in history.

We will get to the background of this event in a moment. But first, lets talk about the winner of the event. On that night, the Gold Medal was won by a budding superstar from Ukraine, Oksana Baiul.

Oksana Baiul won the Gold, defeating American skater Nancy Kerrigan (Silver Medal), and Chinese skater Chen Lu (Bronze Medal). The battle for Gold between Baiul and Kerrigan was tense, but Oksana Baiul pulled out the victory with her Free Skate performance.

This added to the 1993 World Championship that Oksana Baiul had won, cementing her as the best female skater in the world at that point. To win the Gold, she had to beat 27 other Olympic competitors, representing 16 countries.

This was one of the most watched and followed Olympic events of all time. Much of this had to do with the drama surrounding the lead up to the event, and not the event itself.

Prior to the 1994 Winter Olympics, a fierce rivalry between American skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding had turned violent. On January 6th, 1994, Nancy Kerrigan was attacked during training at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. She had been struck in the knee by an assailant using a police baton. The attacker was eventually identified as Shane Stant, who had been hired by Tonya Harding's husband (since divorced), Jeff Gillooly.

Just days later, conspirators involved in the attack confessed to authorities. They were arrested, while Harding maintained her innocence. The US Olympic Committee ultimately decided to let Harding participate in the 1994 Winter Olympics, despite allegations of her involvement in the attack on Kerrigan.

Harding finished 8th in the Winter Olympics, and Kerrigan got the Silver for a second place finish. Less than a month later, on March 16, 1994, Harding plead guilty to Conspiracy to Hinder Prosecution. After that, her championships were revoked by the US Figure Skating Association, and she was banned for life.