Munich, GERMANY - 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, Ladies' Original Program - Tonya Harding of the United States skated a solid routine to Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes." She placed 2nd after this skate.
+eren mori * Ina Bauer. It’s named for the German figure skater who invented the element . (And yes Tonya did a great one in that 91 LP) - & Arakawa did an amazing Ina Bauer!
@@lisawood365 they were not ready for women who assault other skaters. Funny how scandals like that only happen with the female skaters never the male skaters.
@@erictyson5947 she really was ahead of her time had she been born in 1995 the world would have been ready for a powerful skater at the time the TREND in the sport was grace over performance
@@valmacclinchy I think she should've beaten Kristi in the SP here. All the technical skills were far superior to Kristi, the only thing Harding was inferior was the spirals maybe. I do agree with Yamaguchi winning the title over all but this SP win should have been Hardings.
1:33 that jump flowing into spin had me gasping in amazement. I’ve never seen a move like that - she practically flew, appearing to defy gravity and hang suspended in the air. They say the great Nijinsky could jump like that, and he was unique in his generation.
That move was actually one she did quite often, probably because she did it so well, and it was amazing proof of her excellent jumping ability, she always got good air
This is one of the most satisfying skates and score combinations that I've seen. She skated great! Skated early in the day. And STILL got those fantastic scores from the international judges. They appreciated Tonya's skating far more than her own country. Those 5.9's for Presentation were well-deserved.
It's nice to see that even though she might not always have been appreciated by national judges, the international judges seem to have recognized and respected her skill and talent.
Agreed! The crowd went crazy for her as well. If Albertville ‘92 Olympics had an American judge, she would have been played behind Bonaly and Sato instead of 4th.
1991 was her year. her coach and choreographer really had her prepared...costumed nicely...in great shape...even her skates were pristeen...just clean, precise skating. a shame it kind of fell apart after 1991..
She made it look so easy. What an athlete. I dont think she should have stayed quiet about her stupid ex having planned the attack, but I truly have a hard time believing she was behind it. Does anyone stop and ask themselves about how much of a competitor she was, because she was determined to beat Nancy Kerrigan on the ice. That for an athlete would mean beating the competition at their best, not taking them out so there's no competition. So I think, as a former athlete, if it were me I'd want to truly give it my all, while my competition gave it their all so I could say I really was the champ, no questions asked. That's what a true competitor does.
Exactly, this was exactly Tonya 's character, she would never want to win like that, because she thrived on the challenge (her mother's twisted legacy!).. Also, I think one of the reasons why she didn't speak out at first is because she was afraid she would of been even more blacklisted from the judges than she already was, and the fact that she had received threatens in a previous game and had suspected it was Nancy's deed..
And let's not forget that at the time of the attack, Tonya was ranked third in the world and Nancy was ranked fifth. Why would she want to take out a competitor with a lower rank than her? Logic dictates that you'd go after the first and second ranked skaters, not fifth. It makes no sense. I do think she was telling the truth about her idiotic husband's cockamamie scheme to get the skaters to hire him as a bodyguard, that is exactly the sort of harebrained thing he'd do. And considering he was bashing seven bells out of her behind closed doors, it's not hard to see why she was frightened to come forward - her comment to the press about "it's hard, I'm being asked to snitch" says it all, really.
Her death drops are the best and most dramatic ever. Love her costume and the choice of Frankie Goes to Hollywood music. Her spins are amazing because she does not ‘travel’, which means they are very centered. I realize her involvement in the knee incident was horrible, but I don’t think a lifetime ban was necessary. After all, the Russians blood dope their girls, get banned, and are allowed to compete anyway…
Those jumps are still some of the best we've ever seen in ladies figure skating, even nearly 30 years later. But yeah, it's noticeable how Yamaguchi had a much more intricate program compared to her. These are great marks and accurate.
Coach Dody Teachman was a positive influence on Tonya, but she was not a pushover. Tonya skated her best during Dody's tutelage, including landing her vaunted triple axels in several major competitions. Unfortunately the relship didn't last. Tonya switched to coach Diane Rawlinson in 92, and yes, Diane was a pushover. The disastrous results started to speak for themselves as well. Tonya wanted someone she could manipulate, skip practice sessions, arrive at competitions much later than other skaters. All this is well documented. You get what you put in. Despite Tonya's pleas saying she was out of the loop, she knew what she was doing.
I love figure skating and think it’s such a beautiful sport. What I hate is people pitting Tonya vs. Nancy. They were both good skaters and if the judges favored Nancy that isn’t Nancy’s fault it’s the judges. And if the people Tonya surrounded herself with didn’t have enough confidence in her skating ability, then that’s their fault not hers. Neither one of these skaters asked for this crap that happened in 1994, but pitting them against each other is so wrong. They’re individual people that have different styles that worked for them. Crapping on one to uplift the other is pointless. They’re different, that’s all. The guy who bashed Nancy in the knee is responsible for his actions. It’s a testament to her strength and focus that she was able to recover in time for the Olympics. I think the judges always had it out for Tonya for some unknown reason and they used that incident as an excuse to remove her from skating. That was a devastating and unfair decision on their part. No one will ever be able to take her true accomplishments and talent away.
I love watching this GODDESS skate she is so ENCHANTING simply the best. I never tire of watching her. I adore her energy. She is a legend. Better than ANY skater.
This is Tonya at her best, just nailing everything and rocking out to music that is not typical of figure skating, but works well with it. Why? Because she said so
Her mother was a great seamstress. This achievement is always overlooked. Her mother made most of her skating costumes. This dress was beautiful and unique, but it was also very perfect for Tonya's program!
She did a very difficult footwork sequence. Tonya jumps and spins to the left (majority right-handed skaters do or counter clockwise) but her turns in the circular sequence were almost all to the right or what skaters call “reverse” skating. Moving against your natural flow. So few skaters except ice dancers can do reverse steps in a circular step to this day. She was so inventive and just ahead of her time. She, Midori and Surya would have won everything back then if they had the current judging system we have now.
This performance really made me smile. Being a fellow asthmatic, I felt so bad for her when that mic was shoved in her face. She was still trying to catch her breath and talk at the same time.
With Tonya it wasn’t about technical ability vs artistry. It was just the sheer beauty of her skating. She could have been out there wearing grey sweats with no music. Her skating by itself was spectacular.
Yes, she had very creative spin variations. Also amassed a jumping ability, among the first to be consistent with the triple lutz (along with the odd triple axel from both her and Ito). Did you also know she broke four records in her Skate America? She became the first EVER in the history of skating to land a 3A-2T combination, first woman to land a 3A in combination, first to land 2 triple axels in a single competition, the first woman to ever complete a triple axel in both Technical and Free Skates. 1991 was really her best year.
That back death drop stops my heart too. She was able to delay that like her jumps. She just hung in the air. I could watch her videos forever. I am 56 now. Seems I am right on target for doing just that. Can’t believe this was 33 years ago.
She went from having better music and trying to have choreography in her programs to going her way own way in music, costumes, and choreography. And it didn't help her. It didn't matter if she could land the triple axel. Skating is more than that triple axel.
Absolutely beautiful! Outfit, music and performance was as astounding and powerful today as it was when I was a pre-teen watching and falling in love with ice skaters (figure skaters).
Her mom deserves a hand for all this beautiful costumes. I so as a hobby but I don't know if I could do that. As usual Tonya skated with force and beauty.
That's correct, looked easier, but not always the case. They were more sensible for figure skating and the human ability. Today's programs are just jam-packed, that's why it's so much more "difficult" in appearance. Skaters are now forced to do too many things in the program due to the stupid CoP system, which has ruined the sport and suppressed possible champions and legends.
Vi la serie de la vida de ella y realmente lo pasó muy mal con su mamá era una mujer fría y calculadora nunca la amó... Y después conoció a ese hombre que al igual que la mamá la maltrataba vivió en un mundo de violencia ... Era muy buena patinadora yo realmente la admiro y no creo que ella haya querido dañar a su competidora
I think we forget that Tonya Harding is the FIRST EVER Female to land and do a TRIPLE AXEL during competition. She set the stage for future skaters and now the triple axel is a move that needs to be completed in the Olympics.
The great Midori Ito was the first to achieve that, but Tonya was the second to do so. Tonya was the first American female skater to successfully land the triple axel jump in competition.
I'll never understand why Tonya changed her team after this. I really feel had she stuck with Dodee & Barbara, Tonya would've won a medal at the Olympics.
@@erictyson5947Witt couldn't do half the triple jumps Tonya and other female skaters were doing by 1990. Mind you by 1990 Kristi Yamaguchi already could do all the triples except the triple Salchow and the triple Axel. In 1988 when she retired, Witt could only do the triple toe and salchow.
@@shihlin1 Yes katarina went backwards,in the early 84 to 85 she could do a 3flip and loop and jumping went really down hill after 86 and Jill winning the world championship with her Junior jumps in 1989 lol and tanya only making her 1st worlds in 91.
k a y l e e I totally agree. I got to see her in person at an exhibition. If you think her jumps are big in this video you have not seen anything. Her feet were level with the barrier. Her spins were perfect and fast.
Tonya deserved so much more than what she received. She was an amazing ice skater and it was completely absurd to ban her from doing what she loved. I hope she is doing well now I only wish the best for her.
Tonya's Lutz has always, always been a stunner. Triple Axel be damned, her Triple Lutz is better than nearly anyone since. Massive height, covers serious ground, confident landing. Who has done a Lutz like this since? Tell me. Beyond that, note the height on the death drop. The forward positions on the combo spin. The positions and the speed she gains on the layback -- all outstanding for their time. Man, what *could* have been if her legacy wasn't destroyed. She's best example of American ladies' technical skating ever.