Rivalry consequences of fighting. However, when the competition is not enough in sports and the tensions are high fighting may ensue. Rivalries may increase motivation, lead to greater effort, and better performance. It may also contribute to greater risk taking behavior among participants, and increase a propensity for unethical behavior. These difference may lead to poor decision making on the part of groups and individuals that may not otherwise take place in the absence of a rivalry. Examples examined in the literature include the 1994 attacks by figure skater Tonya Harding against her rival Nancy Kerrigan, the admission in court by
Maria Petrova (figure skater) Maria Petrova (figure skater) Maria Igorevna Petrova (; born 29 November 1977) is a Russian pair skater. With partner Alexei Tikhonov, she is the 2000 World champion and a two-time (1998, 2000) European champion. Petrova was a sickly child and her doctor recommended she take up a sport; her parents got her into figure skating when she was seven. She started out in singles but always preferred pair skating and admired Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov so she made the switch to pairs at 13. She initially competed with Anton Sikharulidze with whom she is the 1994 and 1995 World