Costume Tonya Harding Wore During Nancy Kerrigan Scandal Up for Auction, But Dress Has a More Storied History

A piece of figure skating history is up for auction.

The red sequin dress worn by Tonya Harding at the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships where rival Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a thug hired by Harding’s then-husband Jeff Gillooly will be sold to the highest bidder.

Auction site Lelands has the dress listed as “Tonya Harding’s Historic Costume from the Infamous 1994 USA Championships – The Day After Nancy Kerrigan’s ‘Attack'”. ”

The listing’s description of the dress reads: “Here is an outfit worn by Harding during the technical programs at the 1994 United States Championships on January 7, one day after the attack on Kerrigan, and the 1994 Olympics on February 23. The red sequin costume is missing a size tag or maker and missing a handful of beads around his neck.”

Tonya Harding’s Most Memorable Ice Skating Costumes

Harding wore the entertainer-style costume for two seasons, starting the year before the Olympics. During the technical program at the 1993 US Figure Skating Championships held in Phoenix, Harding’s red dress came undone shortly after her music began.

A wardrobe malfunction caused Harding to completely miss his planned triple Lutz jump, landing him in a single Lutz. Realizing her dress was untied, Harding asked for a restart, which the referee granted. The accident caused a slight laugh from the fans and an expression of disbelief from the referee, which can be seen in the video below.

With her costume secured, Harding skated her routine cleanly, placing second to Kerrigan in the technical routine. She fell ill before the free skate and performed poorly, falling to fourth place and missing the World Championship team.

Fast forward one year to the 1994 US Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, which would serve as a qualifying event for the Lillehammer Olympics. On January 6, Kerrigan was leaving practice when an attacker hit her in the leg with a bat.

The injury forced Kerrigan to withdraw from the competition. Harding wore a red suit for the new technical program Much ado about nothing soundtrack, which she skated on January 7, one day after Kerrigan’s attack. With her main rival out of a job, Harding won the US title (and a spot on the Olympic team).

After an ensuing FBI investigation, a disciplinary panel found Harding guilty of making “false statements about her knowledge” of the attack on Kerrigan, which was orchestrated by Gillooly and his co-conspirator Shawn Eckhardt. However, Harding was still able to compete in the Olympics.

Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan share a training session on the ice at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.

Andreas Altwein/image alliance via Getty

Harding and a rehabilitated Kerrigan went to Lillehammer six weeks after the attack. Photographers attended every practice session (since the two shared the same ice) in hopes of capturing the interaction between the two.

The women’s skating event became a media spectacle and brought in huge ratings for CBS, and the technical program became the third most watched sporting event in history at the time.

Harding would wear the red costume once more, but faltered, finishing 10th after the technical program, while Kerrigan finished first. After the medal-deciding free skate, Kerrigan skated away with silver and Harding finished 8th (after having another equipment problem — this time with her skating boot).

Tonya Harding competes in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty

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The Olympics marked the last time Harding ever wore a red dress in competition; she was banned from competition for life due to her connection to the attack on Kerrigan.

Tonya Harding competes in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

David Madison/Getty

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the attack that Harding left behind.

“My family and I are doing well,” she told PEOPLE in January 2024. “For the past year, I’ve been working as a custodian for two businesses that are part of one corporation.”

She enjoyed a brief return to the limelight in 2017 when a biopic was made I, Tonya was released. Margot Robbie played Harding in the autobiographical film.

Now the red dress at the center of the biggest scandal in skating history is up for sale. The current high bid for the costume is $3,993.00 and the auction closes on Saturday, June 29th. That’s far short of the $50,000 Lelands had hoped to achieve.

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Source: HIS Education