Dirty work on the ice rink

By Mike Owuor

I’m currently taking a break on an exotic island, which I should clarify is not a pompous reference to Migingo, contrary to what my colleague Tony Mochama might say.

So, since I’m not spending my time between dodging Ugandan police and checking if my fishing nets have yielded anything, I have had occasion to read books I would normally not give a second glance.

One of them, half-read, is Carole Shulman’s, The Complete Book of Figure Skating. I have no idea why or how I went beyond the first chapter given that the sport is something many Kenyans only watch on TV or, well, read in books and magazines.

But who knows, perhaps this could be my ticket to next year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, as Kenya’s first ever representative in figure skating (and I have the figure)!

History must either be beckoning or the island’s breeze and beauties in bikini are inspiring lofty ideas. No matter, I guess the freedom of dreaming is enshrined in Cap-something of the Constitution, so I can’t have broken any law.

The scandal

Now, apart from occasionally admiring petite skaters in skimpy attire on TV jumping and spinning, my interest in this form of ice-skating has always been cold. But 1994 was an exception as I followed a scandal that seemed to have been plucked straight off a scene in a thriller.

The niche sport, not usually the subject of spicy tabloids, was hot in the news, starring two top US skaters — Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

Then, I tracked the story in newspapers (thanks, Daddy), but I recently did an Internet search to refresh my memory (thanks, Google).

Kerrigan, a medal prospect in that year’s Lillehammer Winter Olympics in Norway, had just completed a training session at the venue of the US Figure Skating Championships in Detroit on January 6, 1994, when she was attacked by a man who hit her right knee with a baton. The attacker then ran off. According to wikipedia.com, the video of Kerrigan’s haunting "Why, Why?" cry has been preserved by ESPN as one of the most important sports moments of the 20th century.

Although she had no broken bones, the damage to her kneecap and tendons prevented her from taking part in the Olympic trials. Tonya Harding, who considered Kerrigan a rival, and Michelle Kwan were selected for the team.

However, according to massmoments.org, the country’s figure skating governing body made "an unprecedented move" by giving Kerrigan a spot in the team to Lillehammer. Kwan would travel as an alternate skater.

In the ensuing investigation three men, including Jeff Gillooly, were arrested for the attack. The story got more intriguing as Gillooly was Harding’s ex-husband. So, could Harding have been behind the assault? Harding denied involvement and claimed she only became aware of the attack after it occurred.

Nonetheless, Kerrigan recovered in time for the Olympics held in February and spectacularly won a silver medal. Harding gave an uninspiring performance and could only manage eighth position. The two had, in the run up to the competition, trained together stirring media frenzy.

Banned for life

Meanwhile, Gillooly sang like a bird, pleading guilty and, crucially, pointing out Harding had approved the attack. As part of a plea bargain, Harding was not jailed but paid a fine and did community service. However, she was banned from the sport for life by the US Figure Skating Association.

So, as I dream and read about figure skating, I hope my rivals will not be involved in such shenanigans once I hit the ice rink .