1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships had 2 spots. The January 6, 1994, attack on 1993 champion and Ladies gold frontrunner Nancy Kerrigan preceded the event. The widely publicized attack took place during a practice session for the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. Tonya Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckardt, hired Shane Stant to strike Kerrigan on the knee, though Stant actually struck Kerrigan's thigh a few inches above the knee. Harding won the event, while Kerrigan's injury forced her withdrawal. After Harding admitted to helping to cover up the attack, the USFSA and United States Olympic Committee initiated proceedings to
Nancy Kerrigan competitive figure skating. She recovered in time to compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics, where she won a silver medal. She then started touring, performing with several ice skating troupes including Champions on Ice and Broadway on Ice. In 2017, she was a contestant on season 24 of "Dancing with the Stars". Kerrigan was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts, the youngest child and only daughter of welder Daniel Kerrigan (1939–2010) and homemaker Brenda (née Schultz) Kerrigan (b. 1939). Her ancestry includes English, Irish and Asian and German. She has stated: "There's very little Irish in me, just my name." While her